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FIU Could Be Temporary Home For Beckham's Soccer Team

Junette Reyes
/
WLRN

Almost a year has passed since retired soccer star David Beckham announced he would make Miami the home of his new team. So far, there are only rumblings concerning the franchise’s status.

In hopes of eventually settling Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, the Miami-Dade County commission voted Tuesday on a resolution that would allow the team to negotiate with Florida International University. The school's football stadium would serve as a temporary home for the franchise.

Commissioner Juan Zapata, whose district includes FIU, was pleased the motion passed unanimously. 

“I believe we have some folks here who have been very persistent and insistent on soccer, bringing professional soccer here and we appreciate their effort, their support,” says Zapata, “And I think it’d just be a wonderful thing for this community.” 

The executive director of sports and entertainment at FIU, Pete Garcia, says that the partnership would have financial benefits for the university. 

Credit Junette Reyes / WLRN
/
WLRN
Pete Garcia, the executive director of sports and entertainment at FIU, thinks the partnership would be financially beneficial to the university.

“Certain things that have to be done with the stadium will have huge benefits for us and then the exposure of David Beckham and MLS here will be huge for an international school like FIU,” says Garcia. 

Garcia is not concerned that the partnership would receive backlash, as FIU did with the 63rd Miss Universe pageant.

But Maria Soledad Lorenzino, a senior majoring in journalism at FIU, doesn’t think the partnership would go well based on the manner the university handled Miss Universe. 

“I think with what we saw with Miss Universe, the mishandling of funds -- of university funds -- there is a concern that the same thing might happen,” says Lorenzino.

Lorenzino says the partnership would be ideal but that she is afraid it would be at the expense of students, especially student athletes. 

Garcia says reports of the finances of Miss Universe and the exposure show that it was more positive than what most people think and suggests it would be the same should the partnership with Beckham go through. 

With the passing of the resolution, Mayor Carlos Gimenez  is directed to propose the temporary solution to Beckham and his investors. Now the waiting game begins to see if Beckham will decide to negotiate with FIU.

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