Perth Glory owner Tony Sage has given up hope of luring David Beckham to Australia following a chance meeting with the former England captain in London this week.
Sage
bumped into Beckham at the premier of the Spice Girls-inspired stage
show 'Viva Forever' at London's O2 Arena and revealed he had been
rebuffed when asked if a move Down Under was possible. "I got the chance
to chat to David, and of course I asked him about coming to Australia," Sage, who was a guest of Spice Girl Mel B, told footballaustralia.com.au.
"He
looked me in the eye and basically said, 'That would be nice, but it's
too far away from my businesses'. It would have been great to have him
at Perth Glory, but it looks like that won't be happening. I just don't
think he'll be coming to Australia, full stop."
Beckham is looking for a new club after calling time on his five-year stay with the Los Angeles Galaxy last month. Beckham's announcement came days after the Football Federation of Australia
claimed it was in talks with the 37-year-old's representatives about
the possibility of him signing a short-term deal to play in the
A-League.
Despite those claims being almost
immediately rubbished by Beckham and his agent, Sage and a number of
Australian clubs had retained an interest in trying to sign the veteran
midfielder.
Source:FIFA