By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – David Beckham will not receive any preferential treatment over his ambition to move into ownership by setting up a new team in Miami, according to MLS chief Don Garber. Garber says that while the charismatic former England captain and global superstar’s idea is welcomed, it is by no means a fait accompli and that a stadium deal must be in place before any franchise is awarded.
“We can’t go into Miami without the right stadium solution,” said Garber ahead of the MLS Cup championship play-off final between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake. “David understands that, the city understands that, that is an indisputable fact.”
“We’re not there yet. But we hope to get there soon. We believe Miami can work if we get David Beckham and his partners to come together and be as strong as other ownership groups. That is still to be seen.”
“We’re very excited about the opportunity of David putting together an ownership group and finalising a site in downtown Miami so we can have our 22nd team,” Garber said. “But there’s a lot of work that needs to happen.”
According to reports in the US, Beckham’s Miami bid will be discussed at an MLS board meeting on Friday though Garber said potential investors “are not coming with a proposal for us”.
Garber’s goal is to have 24 MLS teams by 2020. New York and Orlando are the latest cities to be awarded franchises, starting in 2015 and bringing the total number of teams so far to 21.
Atlanta is also reckoned to be a strong contender for a new MLS franchise.
Garber also addressed the issue of the MLS shifting its March-December calendar to align with much of the rest of the world. “We don’t think we’re ready for that yet. That’s not something we’re going to do in the short term.”
But he did say that for MLS to match the top European leagues, investment had to be matched by a stronger profile. “We have got to have more of a soccer culture at all levels in this country.”
“Our product has to grow in the rest of the world the way the rest of the world’s product has grown in the United States. We have to have a dynamic in our stadiums that is different from the other sports in the United States and like other fan bases around the world.”
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