“David [Beckham] Had a Struggle” – Inter Miami Owner Claimed to Have Had a ‘Hard Time’ After Being Denied a New York-Based Franchise

Currently, David Beckham is the owner of the MLS soccer side Inter Miami. He is one of the greatest soccer players of his generation who has completely transformed the MLS. With an option to buy an MLS franchise after joining LA Galaxy, things took a different turn. Initially, he wanted New York as an expansion club. But those plans went down the drain. The MLS chief, Don Garber, once revealed how he “had a difficult time” when he started owning Inter Miami. 

Despite giving the option to buy an MLS franchise for $25 million, those clauses never failed to materialize. Therefore, the plans derailed, and the former Manchester United player found it hard to crack a deal. 

David Beckham struggled on his way to owning an MLS franchise

When owning a club, the MLS needed the owners to have a stadium for their respective clubs. As the organizing committee did not bend its rules, getting a club in New York became difficult. The MLS chief once explained the problems he faced. According to Express, he commented, “And it happened. And we had our team in New York and David had a struggle, a difficult time, because we stuck to our guns, we said you have to have a stadium.”

“It wasn’t quite the $25m, there were a lot of things that happened where he had to ultimately put together a whole lot more, get an ownership group.”

The initial struggles have faded as on September 16th, 2022, following the latest zoning vote at Miami City Hall, the club began the plans for a $1 billion stadium complex plans to put the club on the map. The city commission voted 4-1 in favor of Beckham and other owners to begin the construction. The situation is panning out smoothly, as Garber had earlier opened up about how Beckham was the face of the league. 

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He commented on how the deal worked out at last for David and the MLS. Garber commented, “So to me, that deal worked out very well for him, it worked out very well for Major League Soccer. He’s got a great partner, who hopefully will be connected to the international community.”

The massive stadium complex

The stadium will host some state-of-the-art facilities for the team. American architectural firms Arquitectonica and HOK gave the blueprint for the whole construction. The sophisticated complex features a 25000-seater stadium, a retail village, a 750-room hotel, an office park, a 23.5ha park, and turfs on the top of an underground car park. Considering the investment involved, the stadium will boast some of the best features in the world. 

Apart from this, Inter Miami fans can get excited with the prospect of Lionel Messi and other soccer superstars who are linked to arriving in Miami. Therefore, the city will now undergo a vast set of changes with David Beckham at the helm. The future of MLS looks bright as they look to expand its brand to a global audience. 

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