Jacksonville’s Khan completes Fulham FC takeover
Late Friday night, it was confirmed on Fulham FC’s website that Shahid Khan, owner of NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, had taken control of the Premier League side.
The deal, reported by The Telegraph to be worth up to £200million, will be formally confirmed on Saturday afternoon and comes as the Jaguars are set to become the “home” side for one regular season NFL game each year at London’s Wembley Stadium until 2016.
Khan, ranked by Forbes in the top 500 richest people in the world thanks to building up his wealth through the the progress of automotive parts supplier company, Flex-N-Gate (which Khan owns and is CEO of), takes over after previous Fulham owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, made clear early in the week of his intention to sell the Premier League club.
Fulham Football Club released a statement tonight, and Khan praised the outgoing Al Fayed: “I was recently very fortunate to have been introduced to Mohamed Al Fayed, a man I respect and admire immensely for what he has accomplished in his life and – above all – what he has given others. Today, he is giving me the privilege and responsibility of serving as the next custodian of Fulham Football Club. I am extremely honoured to accept and want to thank him, on behalf of everyone who loves Fulham, for 16 years of exceptional service to the Club. Mr Al Fayed rescued the club in its hour of need and has led it to a sustained place within the Premier League.
In a direct message to supporters, Khan also wanted to make clear his position to supporters of the West London club, and how he intends to manage the day-to-day running: “Fulham is the perfect club at the perfect time for me. I want to be clear, I do not view myself so much as the owner of Fulham, but a custodian of the club on behalf of its fans. My priority is to ensure the club and Craven Cottage each have a viable and sustainable Premier League future that fans of present and future generations can be proud of. We will manage the club’s financial and operational affairs with prudence and care, with youth development and community programs as fundamentally important elements of Fulham’s future.”
The movement into sports ownership by Khan over the past two years has meant his purchases of Jaguars and Fulham come close to the $1billion mark, and it will no doubt see a significant opportunities for both sides on either side of the Atlantic, and will open the door for a possible solid training base for Jaguars ahead of their regular season games at England’s national stadium each year.
