September 28 – The controversial proposed £600m sale of English football’s national Wembley Stadium has moved a step forward after being discussed by the Football Association’s board.
After lengthy talks from the 10-member board, the offer from Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan, who owns Premier League club Fulham, can now go forward to the FA’s wider 127-member council on October 11.
FA chiefs say money from the sale to Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, could help transform community facilities throughout the country.
In a statement, an FA spokesperson said: “The sale of Wembley Stadium, the negotiated protections and an outlined plan to invest £600m into football community facilities, were presented and discussed at the FA board meeting today.
“Following on from this discussion, the FA board has agreed to take the presentation to the FA Council to get its input now that the full facts are known.”
Khan’s proposed purchase of Wembley has split opinion but he, not surprisingly, is adamant it makes sense. “The news from today’s FA board meeting is welcomed and encouraging,” Khan said.
“I understand the discussion was open and thorough. One cannot ask for more as we continue to work through the process toward reaching an agreement that will serve English football for generations to come.”
Khan has been in talks to acquire the home of English football since April. Under his ownership, the stadium would still be used, on a rental basis, for most of England’s home matches, all of the current club finals and semi-finals it stages and Rugby League’s Challenge Cup final.
The only exception would be that England would need to play its home games in September and November somewhere else since they clash with the NFL’s regular season.
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