Feuding over soccer

The dispute is over, but the animosity continues.

Dave Checketts announced defiantly this week he will donate $7.5 million to a Salt Lake City youth sports complex and ask for "nothing — and I mean nothing — in return."

That's good, considering that, for most people, this was the understanding all along.

Checketts had agreed to provide the money as a way to sweeten a deal at the Legislature to provide $35 million in public funds toward construction of a new soccer stadium in Sandy. All of the documents Checketts provided the media on Wednesday prove only that he and the city had talked about things such as naming rights and concession revenue, which would have provided Checketts some money in return.

There was no agreement on those items, however. One huge obstacle stood in the way, according to the city attorney. The bulk of the money for the sports complex will come from a general obligation bond, and federal law limits any private entity to no more than 5 percent of any proceeds involved in such a deal.

Unfortunately, the animosities may not end here. Checketts has hinted he may look somewhere other than Salt Lake City for land upon which to build an elite sports academy in conjunction with Real Madrid. That was supposed to go near the complex.

This may be a natural consequence of two strong personalities clashing. Checketts and Mayor Rocky Anderson both seem prone to stubborn streaks that make amicable negotiations difficult.

Make no mistake, the entire stadium-funding deal is ill-conceived and ill-advised. It goes against the advice of experts and will provide little or nothing in return to taxpayers. But the sports complex and soccer academy could become assets to Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately, inflation has greatly reduced the scope of the complex that was approved by voters in 2003. According to the terms of the bond for the facility, a $7.5 million private contribution was needed before construction could begin.

Now, that money seems secure, at least. It would be a shame, however, if Checketts took his academy elsewhere just because of bad feelings.