David Beckham confirms plan to launch MLS team in Miami
Star mobbed as he outlines proposal in Florida city
Former England soccer captain David Beckham announced that he has exercised his option to become the owner of a Major League Soccer team in Miami, promising to make it “the people’s club.”
He said he looked forward to building a world-class team, as yet unnamed, during a Miami press conference alongside MLS Commissioner Don Garber and the mayor of Miami-Dade County.
“I have worked for some of the biggest clubs in the world, and some of the greatest players in the world, and this is a dream,” said Beckham, dressed in a dark suit and tie to address a large media audience at a gleaming new bayfront art museum in the south Florida city.
“This is an exciting time ... for myself, exciting time for my family and friends and partners, and something we are really looking forward to bringing to Miami,” Beckham added, to chants of “We’re going to MLS,” from a group of fans calling themselves the “Southern Legion.”
Beckham signed a shareholder agreement on Tuesday evening with his two partners, the British TV producer and creator of American Idol Simon Fuller, and Bolivian-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, founder of Miami-based Brightstar Corp, the world’s largest wireless distributor and the provider of global services to Apple Inc.
“We have a deal. We are three partners, David, myself and Simon, as of last night,” Claure said.