The Football Association have confirmed that Wembley Stadium will not be sold after Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan elected to withdraw his offer to buy the venue.
The billionaire had put forward an ambitious £600million offer to buy Wembley, which would have been reinvested into grassroots football and seen a share of matchday revenue retained by the FA.
But the proposal had a number of detractors within football, notably Gary Neville, and Khan has withdrawn his offer as a result of the criticism.
A statement from FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn read: Earlier this year, The FA received an unsolicited official offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium. It was a very credible offer and was given very serious consideration.
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Shahid Khan has informed us today that he will be withdrawing his offer to buy the stadium – and we fully respect his decision.
More: Football
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.
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.
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 would like to thank the football stakeholders, Government, FA Board and Council members for their collaborative approach throughout this process. We will continue to work together to identify new and innovative ways of investing in community football facilities in the future.
More: Football Association
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The Football Association have confirmed that Wembley Stadium will not be sold after Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan elected to withdraw his offer to buy the venue.
The billionaire had put forward an ambitious £600million offer to buy Wembley, which would have been reinvested into grassroots football and seen a share of matchday revenue retained by the FA.
But the proposal had a number of detractors within football, notably Gary Neville, and Khan has withdrawn his offer as a result of the criticism.
A statement from FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn read: Earlier this year, The FA received an unsolicited official offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium. It was a very credible offer and was given very serious consideration.
Advertisement Advertisement
Shahid Khan has informed us today that he will be withdrawing his offer to buy the stadium – and we fully respect his decision.
More: Football
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.
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.
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 would like to thank the football stakeholders, Government, FA Board and Council members for their collaborative approach throughout this process. We will continue to work together to identify new and innovative ways of investing in community football facilities in the future.
More: Football Association
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