MIAMI – Messi mania is continuing to take over South Florida.
An official deal between soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Inter Miami is expected to be announced very soon.
Tickets to see Messi in person are skyrocketing, and now a presidential candidate is hoping to cash in.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who recently announced his bid for the White House, is capitalizing on Messi’s arrival with a unique way to fundraise for his campaign.
In a tweet, Suarez said he’s raffling front row tickets to see Messi’s debut at Inter Miami.
The catch? Sending one dollar to his presidential campaign via Venmo.
In very fine print, the promotion says people can also enter by mailing a postcard to a P.O. box in Virginia.
I'm entering everyone who Venmo's @ Suarez2024 $1 for a chance to win FRONT ROW tickets to see Lionel Messi's debut at Inter Miami!#FXS24 pic.twitter.com/7K9ublMiJS
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) July 13, 2023
Messi is set to take the pitch as an Inter Miami player next Friday against Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
In a statement, Suarez said:
“No one is more excited about Messi playing for Miami than me. I am delighted to give the people the chance to attend what will be a historic event in American Soccer.”
The campaign claims over 50,000 people visited the ad in the first 30 minutes of the promotion.
The raffle is raising questions about whether Suarez is complying with campaign finance laws.
Candidate contributions and expenditures must be documented and recorded.
Suarez has not said who provided or paid for the tickets, their value, or how this so-called raffle is being documented.