MLS: No bending rules for Beckham
Print Edition
Major League Soccer would love to see a new franchise in Miami backed by David Beckham but there will not be a new team in South Beach until a stadium deal is in place, commissioner Don Garber said on Tuesday.
Garber repeatedly emphasized MLS is keen to work with Beckham but was equally firm it will not bend rules for the former England captain.
“We can’t go to Miami without the right stadium solution,” Garber said during his state of the league address ahead of Saturday’s MLS Cup final in Kansas City. “David understands that, the city understands that, that is an indisputable fact.”
The charismatic Beckham and trendy Miami always seemed the perfect fit to bring professional soccer back to a city where the sport has twice before failed to take root.
But Beckham’s considerable charm is being put to the test in Miami as he assembles an ownership group that still needs to buy a franchise and build a stadium the team will call home.
Finding the right location for a stadium and financing is not easy in Miami. Taxpayers have soured on publicly-financed stadium deals after a US$500 million stadium with a retractable roof for Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins failed to draw fans.
“We are very excited about the opportunity of having David put together an ownership group and finalizing a stadium site in downtown Miami... but there is a lot of work that needs to happen,” said Garber.
The league will hold a board meeting tomorrow but Garber confirmed the Beckham group will not be presenting a specific proposal for approval.
Last month, Orlando became the league’s 21st franchise and will begin play in 2015, adding more speculation that Miami would soon follow with MLS’s ambitious plans to expand to 24 teams by 2020.
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