MIAMI: David Beckham has moved closer to securing the land in Miami to build a stadium for the Major League Soccer franchise he hopes to launch by 2021.

The Miami-Dade Commission voted nine to four in favour of approving a US$9 million deal to sell Beckham’s group, Miami Beckham United, nearly three acres of county land in the American city’s Overtown district.

The land, at the corner of Northwest Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue, is currently in use as a county truck depot. It would complete the required nine-acre site for a planned 25,000-seat stadium on the Miami River. Beckham’s group had already purchased six acres of land next to the site at the cost of US$19 million.

The former England captain and his associates still need to receive approval from the city of Miami before starting construction.

An MBU statement said: “By purchasing the last piece of land needed for our privately-funded stadium, Miami Beckham United is achieving another major milestone on the way to Major League Soccer formally awarding Miami a franchise.

“[The group has] assembled a world-class team of partners, presented a vision for building the premier soccer club in the Americas, and assembled the land needed to build our stadium.

“Now is the time for MLS to move forward in helping us deliver the soccer club that Miami has been waiting for.”

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