Hogan Lovells advises MLS team Inter Miami CF in recapitalization, buyout of majority owners

The recapitalization featured an equity investment by Ares Capital to become a preferred equity investor through funds managed by its credit group and represents the first ever private equity investment in any MLS team. The recapitalization also involved a buyout of Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son from the ownership group. Inter Miami CF Vice President and General Counsel Pablo Alvarez worked closely with Hogan Lovells and played a vital role in the deal.

The Hogan Lovells core deal team included partners Mark Kurtenbach (Denver), Dan González (Miami), and Mark Weinstein (New York), counsels Steve Argeris (New York) and Allison Donovan (Denver), associate Bill Nunn, and several other partners and associates in Miami, New York, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. 

The recapitalization of Inter Miami CF is the latest in a string of high profile sports deals for the firm’s Sports, Media, and Entertainment industry group, which recently have included investments and partnerships involving NBA, MLS, and English Premier League teams. Hogan Lovells has also paved the way for fund-related transactions in professional sports teams. In addition to the Inter Miami CF recapitalization as the first fund-related deal for the MLS, the firm also advised on the first and second fund-related deals for the NBA.