FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 10, 2009
Contact: Heather Kurstin, Assistant Director
(305) 818-7188
hkurstin@miamisports.org 

 

  
SPORTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES 2018/2022 FIFA WORLD CUP™ BID COMMITTEE
 

MIAMI - The Miami-Dade Sports Commission has established the MIAMI / Host City Bid Committee to pursue the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™.  Jose "Pepe" Diaz, who is Chair of the Sports Commission, will also Chair the Bid Committee.  He will be joined on the committee by the following Executive Committee members:
 

Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Bid Committee Chair
Miami-Dade County Commissioner / Chairman, Miami-Dade Sports Commission
 
Mr. Facundo L. Bacardi
Chairman of the Board, Bacardi Limited
 
Mr. R. Marcelo Claure
Chairman, President and CEO, Brightstar
 
Mr. Teofilo "Nene" Cubillas
Soccer Legend
 
Mr. Peter J. Dolora
Senior Vice President, American Airlines
 
Mr. Emilio Estefan
Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter, and Miami Icon
 
Mr. George Feldenkreis
Chairman/CEO, Perry Ellis International
 
Mr. Alonzo Mourning
NBA Legend / Chairman, Alonzo Mourning Charities
 
Mr. Stephen M. Ross
Owner, Miami Dolphins/Land Shark Stadium
 
Mr. William D. Talbert
President/CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
 
Mr. Mike Sophia, Bid Committee Executive Director
Executive Director, Miami-Dade Sports Commission
 
The Committee has submitted the full bid to the USA Bid Committee, for consideration to be one of 15-20 cities that will be a part of the United States bid effort to host either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup™. 
 
"The FIFA World Cup™ is the premier sporting event in the World, and it is important to position Miami to be a part of the USA bid effort to host this great event," said Jose "Pepe" Diaz, the Chairman of the Bid Committee.  "We have assembled a great group of people to help us lead this effort, and I look forward to working with every one of them to do something big for our community."
 
As a part of the process to host the FIFA World Cup™, the MDSC received the RFP from the USA Bid Committee on June 17, 2009.  The MIAMI / Host City Bid Committee submitted a bid proposal on July 29, 2009 to the USA Committee.  The centerpiece of the bid is Land Shark Stadium, as the 75,540 seat stadium would be the venue for any future World Cup matches.  In December 2009, the USA Bid Committee will select the final cities to participate in the USA's bid effort.  The USA's bid to FIFA is due in May 2010, and FIFA is expected to announce the hosts for 2018 and 2022 in December 2010.
 
"We are very proud of the bid that we submitted," said Mike Sophia, Executive Director of the Bid Committee, "we have one of the best stadiums in the world, we are an international destination city with a wide array of amenities, we have great partners involved in this effort, and we have a fantastic leadership team now in place."

 
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ABOUT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
 
Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Committee Chair
Miami-Dade County Commissioner / Chairman, Miami-Dade Sports Commission


Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz was inducted as the Vice-Chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners on December 18, 2008. The commissioner serves as the representative of District 12, which includes the municipalities of Doral, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Medley, Sweetwater, Virginia Gardens and a large portion of unincorporated Miami-Dade County. He was first elected as commissioner in September 2002 and re-elected without opposition in September 2006.

 

Born in Cuba, Diaz has lived in Sweetwater, Florida for more than 30 years. A former US Marine, he is dedicated to the local community and the growth of its economy.
 
Mr. Facundo L. Bacardi
Chairman of the Board, Bacardi Limited
 
Facundo L. Bacardi has been Chairman of the Board of Bacardi Limited since 2005. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, Mr. Bacardi served as Deputy Chairman for three years. Mr. Bacardi was first elected a Director in 1993 and has chaired several committees and served as a member of each of the Board's current committees.
 
Mr. R. Marcelo Claure
Chairman, President and CEO, Brightstar
 
R. Marcelo Claure is the Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Brightstar Corp., a multi-billion dollar global leader in customized distribution and supply chain solutions in the wireless industry. Under Marcelo's direction, Brightstar has experienced unprecedented growth, creating an organization in 50 countries on six continents in only eleven years.
 
Marcelo also serves as President of Bolivar, Bolivia's largest and most popular football (soccer) team. This team is among the 10 most important teams in Latin America, and has won more tournaments than any other team in Bolivian history.
 
Mr. Teofilo "Nene" Cubillas
Soccer Legend
 
One of the greatest Peruvian footballers of all time is still a national hero to young and old alike. Having burst through the youth team ranks at Alianza Lima, "El Nene" as he is known in Peru, led the national side to no fewer than three FIFA World Cup™ finals: Mexico 1970, Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982, when "Los Incas" made their last appearance at the world's premier football tournament.
 
Cubillas currently resides in Coral Springs, Florida, where he owns a youth football camp. He was the only Peruvian named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. 
 
Mr. Peter J. Dolora
Senior Vice President, American Airlines
 
From division headquarters in Greater Miami, Peter J. Dolara, as Senior Vice President-Miami, Caribbean and Latin American, heads a region that is the largest operating unit in the American Airlines system. It includes major connecting hubs in Miami and San Juan and 51 destinations in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico.
 
Under Dolara's leadership, the Miami hub has become the largest international gateway in American's network, with more than 9,000 employees and daily nonstop service to virtually every major business and vacation market throughout Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
 
Mr. Emilio Estefan
Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter, and Miami Icon
 
Born in Cuba, Emilio Estefan Jr. immigrated to the United States when he was 15. Emilio's love of music inspired him to form the band named "Miami Latin Boys" and it found success on private parties and events around Miami. It was while at an event in 1975 that he met the soon-to-be-wife Gloria Fajardo, who joined the band in 1977. Renamed Miami Sound Machine, the group, where Emilio played the accordion, reached an international success in the early 1980s with such hit songs as "Conga" and "Get on Your Feet" that became the chart-topping singles in many countries.

When his wife Gloria pursued a solo career, Emilio focused on music production. Gloria's success made him a well-known producer among Hispanic singers, and he started to organize albums for a wide range of singers, including Shakira. Since then, Emilio has made a name for himself as the producer of numerous renowned singers.
 
Mr. George Feldenkreis
Chairman/CEO, Perry Ellis International
 
George Feldenkreis, chairman and CEO, is the visionary who leads Perry Ellis International. Born in 1935 in Havana, Cuba, to Russian immigrants, Feldenkreis moved to Miami in 1961 and founded Supreme International, a company known for importing school uniforms and guayaberas, a 4-pocket tropical-inspired shirt. Supreme International went public in 1993 and became Perry Ellis International after the acquisition of that company in 1999.
 
Mr. Alonzo Mourning
NBA Legend / Chairman, Alonzo Mourning Charities
 
Alonzo Mourning is founder of Alonzo Mourning Charities (AM Charities), a not-for-profit 501c3 public fundraising foundation, created to encourage the educational development of youth by developing programs and youth enrichment centers that promote positive change in low socioeconomic communities. Since 1997, Mourning has raised more than $7 million for various programs that aid in the development of children and their families.

 

Mourning was drafted as the number two pick, of the first round, by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1992 National Basketball Association's (NBA) draft. After three successful years with the Hornets, Mourning moved on in 1995 to spend seven years with the Miami Heat leading the team to win several Eastern division titles, and the Championship in 2006. 

 

Mr. Stephen M. Ross
Owner, Miami Dolphins/Land Shark Stadium
 
Stephen M. Ross is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Related Companies. Mr. Ross formed the company in 1972 and today the company includes over 2,000 professionals who oversee a diverse real estate portfolio valued in excess of $15 billion.

In January 2009, Mr. Ross became the majority owner of the Miami Dolphins and Land Shark Stadium.  Mr. Ross and his wife Kara, an entrepreneur and jewelry designer, reside in New York with her two daughters from a previous marriage, Drew and Avery.
 
Mr. William D. Talbert
President/CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
 
As President and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) for the past eleven years, and Chief Operating Officer for the prior eight, William D. Talbert III, CDME has distinguished himself as a highly respected visitor industry and community leader. 
 
Mr. Talbert's nineteen years of experience at the GMCVB includes major accomplishments such as preparing successful bids for four Super Bowls, three International POW WOW's, and the Summit of the Americas.  He also spearheaded passage of the county's Food and Beverage tax to fund the GMCVB's advertising budget, negotiated inter-local government funding agreements, and facilitated the successful re-branding of Miami. 
 
Mr. Mike Sophia, Bid Committee Executive Director
Executive Director, Miami-Dade Sports Commission


Mike Sophia was selected to serve as the Miami-Dade Sports Commission's first Executive Director, and has been with the Commission since April 1, 2004.

 

Prior to joining the Sports Commission, Mike was the Vice President of the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports development and promotion organization for the state of Florida, overseeing corporate development, major and regional grant programs, marketing and promotions for Foundation programs, development of Florida as a sports destination, member services, and new partnerships. Mike joined the Foundation in 1999 as the Director of Events with responsibility for Florida's Sunshine State Games, the Florida Senior Games and other Foundation events.  He served in the same capacity for two years, with the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, prior to the merger with the Florida Sports Foundation.


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ABOUT THE FIFA WORLD CUP™
 

  • The world's premier sports event, organized by the Fédération Internationale deFootball Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body (www.fifa.com).
  • A global cumulative television audience of over 26 billion for the event.
  • 64 Matches, with 32 National teams. Normally played in 10-14 venues.
  • Normally staged in June/July over 31 days.
  • Most venues will be utilized for a 2-3 week period.
  • Each venue normally hosts 4-6 matches
  • The event is staged every four years.
  • Future / Recent hosts:
  • 2014 Brazil
    2010 South Africa
    2006 Germany
    2002 Japan / Korea
    1998 France
    1994 USA
    1990 Italy
  • World Cup USA 94 holds the live attendance record of nearly 3.6 million spectators.
  • Minimum stadium capacity: Group games: 40,000 / Opening & Final: 80,000
  • We expect sellout crowds for all matches (World Cup USA 1994 had a 96% sellout)
  • 90,000+ people involved in the event organization; 20,000 accredited media.

 
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ABOUT THE MIAMI-DADE SPORTS COMMISSION
 
The Miami-Dade Sports Commission was created by the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners in 2003, and opened for business in April of 2004. The Sports Commission promotes sports in Miami-Dade County, and works to secure sports events that will generate economic impact for the community.  The Miami-Dade Sports Commission is a proud partner of the United States Olympic Committee's Community Partner program.
 
For more information about the Miami-Dade Sports Commission, please visit www.MiamiSports.org. 

 


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