Beckham akan Kunjungi Miami untuk Rintis Klub Bola
Beckham to Visit Miami in Quest for MLS Team Ownership
Editor : Heru S Winarno
Translator : Parulian Manalu
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Miami (B2B) - Mantan kapten timnas Inggris David Beckham akan berkunjung ke Miami pekan ini untuk menjajaki keinginannya mendirikan tim di Liga Utama Amerika (Major League Soccer, (MLS).
Beckham, yang pernah bermain di klub L.A. Galaxy pada kompetisi MLS, memiliki opsi untuk mendirikan salah satu tim di liga Amerika Utara.
Lokasi markas tim yang akan dibangunnya masih belum pasti, tapi ia akan berada di kota Florida untuk melihat kemungkinan, kata mantan Walikota Miami, Manny Diaz.
"Ya ia akan datang. Kelihatannya amat memungkinkan untuk mendirikan tim di sini," kata Diaz, yang pernah ambil bagian dalam diskusi kemungkinan membangun tim MLS yang bermarkas di Miami, pada 2009.
Klub raksasa Spanyol Barcelona, bersama milyarder asal Miami Marcelo Claure dari Bolivia, mencoba mengawali pendirian tim itu tetap proyek itu ditunda karena "kondisi pasar yang tidak menentu."
Grup pendukung, menyebut dirinya dengan nama MLS Miami Bid, mengatakan kepada Reuters bahwa Claure merupakan salah satu pihak yang akan bertemu dengan Beckham. Mereka merencanakan untuk menyaksikan pertandingan "play-offs" NBA Miami Heat lawan Indiana Pacers, Kamis.
Julio Caballero, salah seorang pengurus MLS Miami Bid, mengatakan mereka akan menemui Beckham di lapangan Heat di American Airlines Arena.
Caballero menjelaskan, organisasinya yang memiliki anggota sebanyak 3.000 orang di Facebook, sudah dihubungi Claure, seperti dilansir Yahoo News!
Miami - Former England captain David Beckham will visit Miami this week as he steps up his interest in owning a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team.
Beckham, who played for L.A. Galaxy in the MLS, has an option to create a new franchise in the North American league.
While the exact location is still to be decided, he will be in the Florida city to explore possibilities, according to former Miami mayor Manny Diaz.
"Yes, he is coming. My understanding is that it´s very exploratory at this stage," said Diaz, who took part in the last time a Miami-based MLS team was under discussion in 2009.
Then, Spanish giants Barcelona, together with Miami-based Bolivian billionaire Marcelo Claure, tried to start a team but the project was called off due to "adverse market conditions".
A supporters group, calling itself MLS Miami Bid, told Reuters that Claure would be one of those meeting Beckham and that the pair planed to watch Miami Heat´s NBA playoff game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
Julio Caballero, the organizer of MLS Miami Bid, said they would greet Beckham at the Heat´s American Airlines Arena.
Caballero said his organization, which has over 3,000 Facebook members, had been contacted by Claure and was planning a rally to show the Englishman a fan base is already emerging.
