Legendary soccer superstar Lionel Messi is in Los Angeles as Inter Miami are set take on LAFC at BMO Stadium on Sunday, and the team is supporting local striking hotel workers during their stay in the City of Angels.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Inter Miami were originally slated to stay at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, but Unite Here Local 11 – which represents the striking workers – said the team canceled its reservations “at the union’s urging.”
“The housekeepers, cooks, bellmen and servers of the Fairmont Miramar say thank you to the great Lionel Messi and his teammates for agreeing to move from the hotel and stand with the striking workers,” Unite Here Local 11 said in a statement.
The union posted a message on social media on Wednesday asking the team to “stay out” of the Fairmont Miramar amid tensions and occasional violence on the picket lines.
The MLS Players Association, which represents all players in Major League Soccer, released a statement supporting the team’s decision to boycott the hotel:
The MLSPA is proud to stand with the striking workers at the Fairmont Miramar and other LA area hotels, and we applaud the decision by MLS and Inter Miami to change hotels this weekend. We urge all of the hotels to reach fair contracts with their workers as soon as possible.
Looking to see World Cup-winning legend Lionel Messi and Inter Miami take on LAFC? It will cost you a pretty penny; tickets on Ticketmaster are starting at $620.
Another superstar has made their way to L.A. at the same time as Messi; Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour is hitting SoFi Stadium on Saturday and Monday.