In a major shift for the Miami MLS effort, the Mas Brothers have joined David Beckham‘s investment group, while Todd Boehly is no longer involved in the pursuit.
Earlier this year, Boehly was reported to be joining as a new partner in Beckham’s pursuit of a Miami MLS expansion club that would play at a new stadium in Overtown. His arrival to the group was seen as a major sign of progress for the effort, and it was later reported that Boehly would serve as the club’s majority owner and controlling partner.
While Boehly is out, a new report indicates that prominent Miami-area businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas are now involved as partners. Jorge Mas made a run at purchasing MLB’s Miami Marlins earlier this year, the addition of both Jorge and Jose–as well as Masayoshi Son –to the bid could be a major boost, though several questions remain unanswered. More from The Miami Herald:
An MLS spokesperson said Tuesday that owners are set to meet Thursday, and that an “update” on the Miami situation is on the agenda.
Before Boehly emerged, Beckham and partners, including Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure and entertainment impresario Simon Fuller, also courted Milwaukee Bucs owner Wesley Edens and the nation of Qatar to bankroll a 25,000-seat stadium project expected to cost more than $150 million. The group also lost out on bids for stadium sites at PortMiami, downtown Miami, and near Marlins Park in Little Havana before settling on Miami’s Overtown neighborhood.
It’s not clear now who the majority partner would be. Amid the partnership shake-up, a source close to the talks said Claure had recruited Masayoshi Son, Sprint’s chairman and one of the wealthiest men in Japan, to join Beckham as a partner.
Representatives for Beckham, Boehly and [Tim] Leiweke were unavailable for comment Tuesday. The Mas brothers also could not be reached for comment.
Earlier this year, Miami-Dade County voted to move forward with the $9 million sale of about three acres needed to complete the site for the stadium in Overtown. Eventually, the sale was met with a legal challenge from Bruce Matheson. Matheson, who owns property near the site, challenged the county in court by arguing that the land should have been put through a competitive bidding process. The court sided with the county’s argument that Florida economic development law allowed it to waive the competitive bidding process for a sale of public land in a transaction that provides economic benefit. Matheson is appealing the ruling, however.
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