Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham, has withdrawn the offer he made to buy Wembley Stadium
Khan had tabled an offer of £600m for the stadium earlier in the year with the Football Association’s board members meeting to discuss a possible sale.
A statement released by the FA has now confirmed Khan’s decision to withdraw his offer, adding that the governing body ‘fully respects’ it.
The statement goes on to make clear that Khan, who is believed to have wanted to use the stadium for a London-based NFL franchise, made the decision after seeing the reaction to his proposal.
‘At a recent meeting with Mr Khan he expressed to us that, without stronger support from within the game, his offer is being seen as more divisive than it was anticipated to be and has decided to withdraw his proposal.
‘Wembley Stadium is an iconic venue that is revered around world and it will continue to thrive under the ownership and direction of The FA.’
Khan’s offer would have seen the continued use of Wembley for major football matches – both domestic and international. The profits raised from its sale would have been invested in community projects and facilities up and down the country.
The 68-year-old is also the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He planned to relocate them from Florida to London, using Wembley as their home stadium.
