Shahid Khan Withdraws £600m Offer For Wembley
Shahid, Khan owner of NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars and Premier League team Fulham, has pulled out of his bid to buy Wembley Stadium due to a current lack of a “proper partnership” with the FA.
It remains unclear if Khan will make a new bid at a later date or how the FA plans to increase support for community football facilities across the country, which was one of the key issues that became central to the debate surrounding the sale of the national stadium.
Khan said: “I’ve been clear publicly as well as in my correspondence with the FA Council that it would require a proper partnership, with the full and enthusiastic commitment of all involved, to maximise the benefits to the FA and game of football by way of 100 per cent private ownership of Wembley Stadium.”
The proposed sale of Wembley Stadium triggered significant debate, with a particular focus on how the funds raised could be used to improve grassroots facilities across the country.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn said in a statement: “Mr Khan believed that his offer to buy Wembley Stadium would release funds to help improve community football facilities in England and that it would be well received by all football stakeholders.
“There has been much deliberation on both sides of this debate and it has undoubtedly raised awareness of the issue that community football facilities in England need significant investment.
“We will continue to work together to identify new and innovative ways of investing in community football facilities in the future.”
Khan remains interested in Wembley and is open to revisiting his proposal to buy the stadium, saying: “The intent of my efforts was, and is, to do right by everyone in a manner that strengthens the English game and brings people together, not divides them.
“Unfortunately, given where we are today, I’ve concluded that the outcome of a vote next week would be far from sufficient in expressing the broad support favoured by the FA Chairman to sell Wembley Stadium.
“I cannot rule out revisiting the opportunity at another time when perhaps the Football Association family is unified in its views on the opportunity.”
