David Beckham is aiming to bring the world’s top players to Miami after taking up the option to buy a new Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise but key details about the project are still unconfirmed.
The former England and Manchester United midfielder said he planned to make the new team a globally-recognised club though the home stadium, start date and name of the club are still not known.
Beckham told a news conference in Miami: “We are going to make a soccer club that is going to be loved by millions of people – we plan on bringing a team that is not just for Miami but is a global team.
“We will want to bring in some of the best players in football to play in this team – I have seen what happens to a team when you bring great players in.
“We want the best. Fortunately, I have played with some of the greatest players in the world, and these players have been sending me messages and calling me up and saying ‘Miami, great – when can we get there’.”
Beckham’s group is now in talks with Miami local government officials about building a stadium for the new club, but he insisted no public money would be needed.
He said: “We don’t want public money, we will fund the stadium ourselves, it is something that we have worked very hard on.
“Nothing successful in life is easy, there are going to be bumps along the way and you have to go through certain tough times to come out at the end being successful.
“We are going to have the right investors, and I’m not just talking about wealth but people who have a passion for the game as well.”
Beckham said he would not be making an approaches to his former manager at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, to coach his team.
He added: “He is a great manager and gave me the chance to play for my boyhood dream club, but unfortunately he has retired so we won’t pull him out of retirement, I think he is enjoying that.”
Beckham was given an option to acquire an MLS franchise at a discounted rate of USD$25million (Dh91.8m) when he first joined Los Angeles Galaxy.
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
