January 21 – David Beckham’s new franchise is holding talks with Qatar to secure a headline sponsorship for Inter Miami ’s first season in the Major League Soccer.
The talks between the two parties have been ongoing for some months with a deal reported as being imminent. Inter Miami will debut this year in the MLS and Beckham’s franchise is closing in on a sponsorship deal with Qatar that would include the kit sponsorship and possibly naming rights to the club’s Freedom Park Stadium, which is due to open in 2022.
Beckham was a guest at the recent Club World Cup in Qatar. At the time the former England international lavished praise on local organisers, saying that Qatar was in the process of “creating something really unique.”
The Inter Miami franchise will kick off their maiden MLS campaign against LAFC at the Banc of California Stadium at the end of February, but Inter Miami have a series of friendly games lined up before that, playing Philadelphia Union on February 15, FC Dallas on February 22 and Charleston on a date which has yet to be confirmed.
The ownership group behind the franchise was first formed in 2013 as Miami Beckham United, which now operates under the name Miami Freedom Park LLC. In 2007, Beckham had first expressed his interest in acquiring an MLS franchise when he received an option to purchase an expansion team at a price of $25 million.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734899675labto1734899675ofdlr1734899675owedi1734899675sni@o1734899675fni1734899675