David Beckham's Club Accused of Making Money 'On Backs of People' Over 'Failed' Pledge to Build Park

Florida’s city of Fort Lauderdale struck a deal with David Beckham’s Miami Beckham United, which co-owns Inter Miami CF, in 2019 to construct recreational facilities alongside its $160 million stadium in return for a 50-year rent-free lease.

The football club owned by former England captain David Beckham – Inter Miami CF – has been accused of “playing foul” by Fort Lauderdale authorities, after it apparently failed to build public facilities around its 18,000-seater stadium as promised as part of its 2019 deal with the city, The Guardian reports.

Inter Miami, which competes in Major League Soccer, pledged to construct sports fields, running and walking trails, a playground, and a public park to be opened next summer. The Miami Beckham United group and the club’s co-owners reportedly pledged to manage and pay for all construction.

“It seems like an empty promise. I understand everyone has a bottom line and they want to make money, but you can’t do it on the backs of the people,” Vice Mayor of Fort Lauderdale Heather Moraitis told the paper.

According to her, the club now uses the public land earmarked for the recreational park – which it gets from the city rent-free – as a parking area, which has apparently been fenced off so people can't access it. 

“I’m not even sure David Beckham knows what’s going on. I’d explain to him why my city and my people feel let down and I don’t think he’d support turning his back on a whole community. He’s a dream maker, not a dream killer,” Moraitis added.

Nope. If I remember correctly that bond money was set aside just *before* anyone bid on the site. City was going to renovate the stadium and do a park.

But both bids for the site included building a park, which made public money unnecessary.

And it’s in the Beckham agreement: pic.twitter.com/nqfFhnHd2e

— Derek Reese (@DR928) August 21, 2021

​Miami Beckham United’s legal representatives didn’t respond to the media’s request for comment but attorney Stephanie Toothaker, who represented the club in the negotiations with the city in 2019, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that neither Beckham nor his partners were “ducking any promises made." She mainly blamed pandemic for the delay.

But the vice mayor, who previously called the deal with Beckham’s club “a once in a lifetime project for South Florida,” says that Miami Beckham United representatives now want the city to build the park, albeit with the club’s money.

“I asked Inter Miami to move forward and they said they don’t want to build it, they want us to do it,” Moraitis said. “But we all know if the city does it, it’ll take twice as long and cost twice as much.”

The club also apparently demanded more land from the city at one point, while suggesting that the site might also host the US women's national team in an enticing proposal.

Inter Miami CF, founded in 2018, is jointly owned by Beckham, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, Bolivian technology entrepreneur Marcelo Claure, and entrepreneurs Jorge and Jose Mas.