Tempers flare over Salt Lake soccer fields

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is calling on Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to take a clear stand as Real Salt Lake owners and city officials bicker over the soccer team's obligations to a sports complex on the city's northwest side.

Real's $7.5 million donation to the planned 180-acre complex (near 2000 North between Redwood Road and I-215) was part of a state plan, approved by the Legislature in February, to provide public money to build a soccer stadium in Sandy.

But after the Major League Soccer team's owner, Dave Checketts, sent Anderson and the City Council a letter last week insisting the team get in on naming rights and concession sales, a war of words has threatened to derail the plan.

"From the onset when we approached the city to say, 'We'll make up your shortfall,' (it was) always with the caveat since Day 1 there would be naming rights and concessions involved," team spokesman Eric Gelfand said Friday. "The letter was created and sent to the mayor with the sole purpose of being a refresher to talks we've had previously."

Not so, Anderson said.

"The Real folks made commitments to the public, to the governor, to the city, to the legislators that they would, in their words, 'contribute' or 'kick in' — they've used both of those terms — $7.5 million for the sports complex in Salt Lake City," he said. "That's why I was working so hard to make certain the team stayed here even if the stadium was in Sandy."

The argument has boiled down to just what was meant by the deal calling for Real to contribute to the complex. City leaders say they see the money as a donation; Real officials have begun using the word "investment."

Anderson said if that were part of the deal, it would have been more clearly spelled out from the beginning.

"If this were a condition to that investment, don't you think that experienced business people would put something in writing saying we'll commit $7.5 million provided A, B and C?" he said.

The mayor said Huntsman should stand firm on the deal as it was initially pitched to lawmakers — as a "simple" plan involving a Real donation to the soccer complex. City Councilman Eric Jergensen also called on the governor to "hold very, very firm" on the terms.

In his monthly news conference broadcast on KUED Channel 7 Thursday, Huntsman said the state must "make sure the $7.5 million is part of it. That was clear from the very beginning."