Two stadium plans in Miami have fallen through because of politics – and people close to Beckham say that when a third is announced shortly it has to succeed

Kaká, David Villa and Robbie Keane may form part of the story in the new MLS season but there remains one notable absentee who is arguably the most high-profile football figure of them all.

David Beckham’s playing days are behind him but his core involvement in a MLS franchise was still headline news when announced in the opulent setting of a Miami art gallery just over a year ago. When Beckham moved to the MLS with LA Galaxy in 2007, he smartly included an option in his contract that permitted the purchase of an expansion team franchise for $25m. This proved a seriously good deal, given the increase in values during the intervening years.

Eight years on, what has not looked so clever is Beckham’s choice of Miami. Thirteen months after his grand announcement, and two failed site options later, this team still have no stadium to play in, let alone a name, colours and management. This was not in the script, especially for an individual for whom everything would routinely fall into place more easily.

Questions are being asked, although to be fair they were by some at the outset, such as whether Beckham’s Miami plan is achievable. And if so, when?

Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders impress on MLS kickoff weekend Read more

This, it has to be pointed out, is not entirely the fault of Beckham and his partners, a possibly flawed location choice aside. South Florida and Miami particularly is known as awkward, cynical, routinely impossible political territory to navigate. Some, or perhaps most, areas would welcome a global superstar such as Beckham with open arms; not so in Miami. His status makes no apparent difference at all.

If this scheme ultimately fails, Beckham would not be the first high‑profile figure to see a grand plan crash because of the machinations associated with the local administration. “I wouldn’t want to call it a miscalculation,” said one source close to the Beckham camp. “But there was maybe a false perception at the outset, of who he is being able to have more influence than is actually the case.”

The former England captain’s strategy here is intriguing. There has been no attempt to sway politicians with public campaigns – perhaps owing to the realisation this would be a waste of time anyway – and no audible complaint about what barriers have appeared. In February, Beckham said he hoped for an announcement within a couple of months, adding that what has occurred so far has proved both frustrating and hard work.

A spokesman for Beckham’s MLS project said this week: “Things are progressing in Miami, and we are very much on track in our plans.

“David Beckham is very positive about the future of the club and he continues to enjoy incredible support from the people in Miami. Right now, our focus is on identifying the location for a purpose-built stadium that will be the team’s permanent home.”

This is an upbeat sentiment; deliberately so, no doubt, but at odds with a troubled reality.

The MLS has not responded to questions from the Guardian as to their thoughts on the Miami delay. It seems safe to infer it had another scenario in mind when accepting Beckham’s franchise plan. It may even be the case that the former England captain has only a set period in which to assemble the club.

The two stadium sites to fail – the first against a particularly tangled backdrop – were at the old Miami Port area and on Biscayne Boulevard, close to where Miami Heat play basketball. The second option quickly crashed after Miami’s mayor apparently took umbrage, to the point of insult, at a suggested rent of $500,000 a year.

“The next choice has to happen,” added the source. “There won’t be a fourth option. There won’t be another chance.”

From the MLS’s point of view, no stadium equals no club. Finding a home venue is that fundamental. It may be a temporary stadium is found while another one is constructed – Florida International University’s site has been suggested for that purpose – but the league would be cautious about agreeing to such a concept.

The Miami Beckham United group said: “Careful consideration will be given to FIU when we address the opportunities for a temporary facility.”

Miami Fusion, a team who lasted from 1997 to 2001, could not reach agreement to play in the downtown Orange Bowl and instead made short‑term plans in Fort Lauderdale. Very short, as it transpired; something the MLS will bear in mind. There are, though, more recent examples of temporary stadiums being approved while another is under construction.

There is no sense Beckham is in any way scaling back his efforts or his commitment to making this franchise work. He retains a lead negotiator – a New York attorney named John Alschuler – as well as lawyers and public relations representatives in Miami. No one with a close eye on events has sensed Beckham has been sufficiently wounded by delays to abandon his dream. Albeit there will be a financial outlay for Beckham and his partners now, the bigger cost comes via the continuing lost opportunity as no Miami team feature in the MLS.

If the plans can reach fruition, there is a captive audience. Miami’s diverse population and South American influence means a sufficient number of football obsessives and, in theory, huge support.

Elsewhere in Florida, Orlando City, the club with Kaká in their ranks, played in front of 62,000 at the weekend.

At just under two years, Orlando’s transition from being awarded their franchise to playing their first MLS match is regarded as swift. Just 235 miles down the highway, the pace of progress is altogether different.