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<DIV class=M2FullAHeadline>A NUH ME SAY SO !</DIV><DIV class=M2FullAHeadline></DIV><DIV class=M2FullAHeadline>MANDARIC: BECKHAM IS A WASTE OF MONEY</DIV><DIV class=right>
</DIV><DIV class=M2FullAByline>By Lee West</DIV><P class=add-linkout align=left><SPAN class=linkout-replaced>FORMER Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, the man who took George Best to America, has accused the MLS of wasting their money on David Beckham.</SPAN><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric was one of the founding fathers of the American soccer league when he took over San Jose Earthquakes in 1974.<P class=add-linkout align=left>The Serbian millionaire brought Best to his club in 1980 and helped convince the likes of Pele, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer to play in the States.<P class=add-linkout><DIV class=center id=mpuad style="DISPLAY: none"><DIV class=M2MpuAdvertisement id=mpuadheader>Advertisement</DIV><DIV class=center></DIV></DIV><P class=add-linkout align=left>Despite early success and sell-out crowds, the interest in soccer eventually disappeared and Americans went back to watching baseball.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Beckham has agreed a five-year deal worth £128million with LA Galaxy but Mandaric believes he will do nothing to raise the profile of the game.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric said: "I was a part of that league for 10 years and was one of the founders when they were trying to introduce the game.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"We had many superstars at that time - Best, Pele, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, just to name a few.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"They are all bigger names than Beckham and we still did not make it. Galaxy are taking the wrong approach. We tried that way before and it did not work.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"One name in one team does not make a league and everyone will notice that, once the initial excitement has died down. People want to see exciting games.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"The Premiership is quite popular because it has the quality and the thrill the Americans love - you cannot all of a sudden invent that."<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>The fact that the US season gets underway in April puts major question marks over any move by a Premiership club to take Beckham on loan from Real Madrid.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric claims the vast sums Beckham will be earning to promote his brand should be poured into the game at grassroots level to guarantee future success.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric, close to completing his takeover of Leicester, added: "That sort of money would be much better spent importing coaches and raising awareness that way.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"It takes time. As was shown before, you can have all the superstars in the world and it still won't work out."
</DIV><DIV class=M2FullAByline>By Lee West</DIV><P class=add-linkout align=left><SPAN class=linkout-replaced>FORMER Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, the man who took George Best to America, has accused the MLS of wasting their money on David Beckham.</SPAN><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric was one of the founding fathers of the American soccer league when he took over San Jose Earthquakes in 1974.<P class=add-linkout align=left>The Serbian millionaire brought Best to his club in 1980 and helped convince the likes of Pele, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer to play in the States.<P class=add-linkout><DIV class=center id=mpuad style="DISPLAY: none"><DIV class=M2MpuAdvertisement id=mpuadheader>Advertisement</DIV><DIV class=center></DIV></DIV><P class=add-linkout align=left>Despite early success and sell-out crowds, the interest in soccer eventually disappeared and Americans went back to watching baseball.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Beckham has agreed a five-year deal worth £128million with LA Galaxy but Mandaric believes he will do nothing to raise the profile of the game.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric said: "I was a part of that league for 10 years and was one of the founders when they were trying to introduce the game.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"We had many superstars at that time - Best, Pele, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, just to name a few.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"They are all bigger names than Beckham and we still did not make it. Galaxy are taking the wrong approach. We tried that way before and it did not work.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"One name in one team does not make a league and everyone will notice that, once the initial excitement has died down. People want to see exciting games.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"The Premiership is quite popular because it has the quality and the thrill the Americans love - you cannot all of a sudden invent that."<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>The fact that the US season gets underway in April puts major question marks over any move by a Premiership club to take Beckham on loan from Real Madrid.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric claims the vast sums Beckham will be earning to promote his brand should be poured into the game at grassroots level to guarantee future success.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>Mandaric, close to completing his takeover of Leicester, added: "That sort of money would be much better spent importing coaches and raising awareness that way.<P class=add-linkout><P class=add-linkout align=left>"It takes time. As was shown before, you can have all the superstars in the world and it still won't work out."
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