By Andrew Warshaw
February 4 – A year after announcing his plans to form a new MLS club in Miami, David Beckham is still searching for a permanent venue amid growing concerns that his dream franchise might be some way off.
The global icon and former England captain has twice been rebuffed in his attempts to secure a home for his proposed Miami Beckham United team, ideally a waterfront arena in downtown Miami.
“The Miami Beckham United team is actively looking at four or five sites,” his spokesman Tadd Schwartz was quoted as saying in an emailed statement to media organisations. “David Beckham is very positive about the future of the club, and he continues to enjoy incredible support from the people in Miami.”
Yet according to the Miami Herald, county lawmakers have voted to allow the city’s mayor Carlos Gimenez to open negotiations with Florida International University for use of its stadium, but only as temporary measure. The stadium has hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup matches and international friendlies but is far from what Beckham has envisaged.
“Right now, our focus is on identifying the location for a purpose-built stadium that will be the team’s permanent home,” Schwartz added.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office indicated that the idea of using a temporary venue didn’t come from Beckham’s group.
“The mayor is evaluating the possibility of having Mr. Beckham’s franchise begin play at FIU,” the spokesman said. “However, [Beckham’s] organization has not indicated a desire to see this arrangement be made, at least not to Mayor Gimenez.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber has long stressed the need for any Miami football-specific club to have its own facility. “If we can’t get the right stadium, we can’t go to Miami,” he stated in October.
While Beckham’s group attempts to find a permanent site, other candidates in the running for limited MLS franchise openings – including Sacramento, Las Vegas and Minneapolis – are well advanced with their stadium proposals.
Beckham has the automatic right to purchase his MLS franchise for $25 million, a condition that was part of his MLS playing contract. That is significantly less than the current $75 million cost of a franchise. But if Beckham’s group can’t find a stadium in Miami the options are to let his right to the franchise expire, opening up more opportunities for other cities to join the party, or for him t take his franchise option to another city.
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