*** ----> Beckham launches Miami MLS team | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Beckham launches Miami MLS team

Miami : Former England captain David Beckham has launched his long-planned Major League Soccer team in Miami.

Beckham exercised an option in his contract with former side LA Galaxy to buy an expansion franchise in 2014.

The as yet unnamed team is set to play at a 25,000-seat stadium in the city’s Overtown neighbourhood.

“I’m excited to bring this great team to this great city - it has been a hell of a journey,” said former Manchester United midfielder Beckham, 42.

“I promise you the team we will bring into the league will be the best team.”

The launch follows four years of disputes over the site for a stadium in southern Florida, with residents having opposed multiple locations.

Beckham’s team of investors purchased the land to build a stadium in December 2015, following three failed attempts to buy a suitable site.

The Miami-Dade government was subsequently sued by wealthy businessman Bruce Matheson, who claimed it had sold the site below fair value and without a competitive bid process.