David Beckham’s Miami Soccer Partner Very Sorry He Tweeted Che Guevara Pic

There are a few nonnegotiable rules of doing big business in Miami: Speak at least a little Spanish. Learn to enjoy cigars. Never speak ill of the Estefans. And — this one is important — do not, under any circumstances, reveal your admiration for Fidel Castro or Che Guevara. 

Marcelo Claure, David Beckham’s business partner, in trying to bring an MLS franchise to Miami-Dade County, failed that last test big time yesterday when he tweeted a photo of the famed Che sculpture that beams over Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution.

After being assailed by Cuban-American politicos for hours, he promptly apologized.  

I just deleted the picture I posted earlier while traveling in Cuba. My sincere apologies if I offended anyone. No harm intended.

— MarceloClaure (@marceloclaure) November 2, 2015

Claure, a Bolivian magnate who is now CEO of Sprint, has partnered with Beckham to try to bring top-level pro soccer to Miami. The pair is deep in negotiations with the city and county for a deal to build a stadium next to Marlins Park in Little Havana. 

The exec spent this past weekend in Havana, though, where his trouble began around 6:30 p.m. yesterday. That’s when he tweeted a photo of the famed Che statue and wrote, “Hola Cuba. Happy to be here in La Havana, Cuba.” 

Miami politicians were not amused.

@aibarra @PatriciaMazzei @doug_hanks Somebody tell the guy that Che was a doctrinaire and a cruel executioner; also that it's La Habana.

— Xavier L. Suarez (@XavierLSuarez1) November 1, 2015

At first, Claure tried to defend the tweet as a simple celebration of historic sites in Cuba:

@marceloclaure You have a leadership role in SoFla. I don't recommend tweeting images glorifying Duvalier, Trujillo & other murderers either

— Carlos Curbelo (@carloslcurbelo) November 2, 2015

But within a few hours, Claure had realized any argument over Che among older Cuban-American politicians in Miami is not an argument anyone would win. He deleted the tweet and apologized. 

It’s worth adding a little context to the controversy, though. Claure is Bolivian, a nation where Che is still largely celebrated. After all, it was in Bolivia where Che was executed by a CIA-led team of spies.

And opinion in Miami might not quite be as universal as its politicians make it seem: A few years ago, a New Times editor tried to peddle Che T-shirts around Dadeland Mall to see how local shoppers reacted and found indifference was the order of the day.  

But then again, the rules are different when you’re knee-deep in selling the county government on a new tax-exempt stadium deal. Time to go back to Miami-Dade business school, Marcelo.