The effort to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Sacramento has hit a snag.
There's a rift between current minority owner Kevin Nagle and current Managing Partner Warren Smith. Nagle has submitted a bid to become a franchise to the MLS without the knowledge or blessing of Smith or the Sacramento Republic FC.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says he and the owners will meet Thursday. He had met with the owners previously about their differences. Steinberg says he's surprised they resurfaced.
"I had some inkling, but I had no idea they would spill out into the public," says Steinberg. "The city's interests and the public's interests must always come before the private interest."
When asked if the difficulty was money-related, Steinberg said, "Is it ever not about money?"
Nagle is currently a minority owner of the team while it is in the USL PRO league. But, if Sacramento receives an MLS franchise, he would become managing partner. The team released a statement that says the bid Nagle submitted is "in violation of our agreements."
The team will not say if it attempted to submit a bid.
Major League Soccer says only one bid from Sacramento was received.
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