International soccer star David Beckham plans to build a soccer stadium at the Port of Miami with the dramatic vista of downtown Miami in the background. But the Chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises is doing everything possible to block Beckham’s plans.

In an interview with television station Local 10, cruise executive Richard Fain says that the port isn’t a suitable location for the stadium.

It’s also a location where Fain’s cruise line built a parking lot and a gym for its employees, which are obviously not the best uses of the 12 acre property. Unlike Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival which operate their headquarters on the north and north-west sides of the Miami International airport, Royal Caribbean’s headquarters are located right at the port.

Fain and his "well-funded Miami Seaport Alliance" seem to be using scare tactics, arguing that the new stadium "will jeopardize more than 200 cargo and cruise-related jobs," a claim that newspaper researchers find false.

Fain doesn’t want to talk about losing his parking lot and the gym. He couches his argument against the soccer stadium in terms of "protecting our port." But the land is not suitable for deep water use by today’s mega-liners.

May it just be that Fain doesn’t want to see the new stadium towering over his cruise line’s offices and causing traffic delays disrupting his daily drive into the office?

Miami’s mayor, Tomas Regalado, says the decision on the new stadium site will rest with the people of Miami.

Photo Credit: Design Boom

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