By Victor Kanayo
Inter Miami’s players and officials will face an uphill task this weekend as they travel to face their opponent LAFC in an away tie on Sunday.
This is after workers who are on strike warned the team with Lionel Messi as captain to stay away from their hotel compound and look for elsewhere to stay.
According to a Reuters reports, employees at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica began picketing on Wednesday, joining thousands of hotel workers across the region who have gone out on strike this summer seeking better wages amid soaring housing costs.
“We have learned that Inter Miami and the great Lionel Messi are coming to Los Angeles this week for a match against LAFC on Sunday,” Unite Here Local 11 said in a statement.
“As housekeepers, cooks, bellmen and servers, we ask Lionel Messi and his team mates to stand in solidarity with us and stay out of the Fairmont Miramar.”
Argentine Messi, widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, has been a huge attraction since joining Major League Soccer last month and tickets for Sunday’s match range from $834 to $17,000 each, according to ticket retailer Gametime.
Following the arrival of Messi and few top players few weeks ago, Inter Miami have gone ahead to win a title for the first time in existence, with the Argentine captain scoring in virtually all the matches he had played.
