Done Deal: Shahid Khan (worth £1.7 billion) buys Fulham for £200m, Al Fayed to meet media tomorrow please log in to view this image It's being reporteded widely. Here is a link to one site breaking the news: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dcunited/england-premier-league-club-fulham-bought-by-owner-of-nfls-jacksonville-jaguars/2013/07/12/fd802d32-eb34-11e2-818e-aa29e855f3ab_story.html
And just confirmed by the Club "Mohamed Al Fayed has sold Fulham Football Club to Shahid Khan, the CEO of Flex-N-Gate Group and owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League in the United States. The transaction has been approved by the Barclays Premier League. Khan assumes 100 per cent ownership of the club, debt-free, as of today. A formal announcement is scheduled at Craven Cottage on Saturday at 1 p.m. London time. “My time of serving as the custodian of Fulham Football Club would one day come to an end, and I feel that time has now arrived,” Al Fayed said. “The time is right because I have found a very good man in Shahid Khan to accept the responsibility and privilege that I have enjoyed at Fulham since 1997. Fulham will be in very good hands with Shahid, whose success in business and passion for sport is very evident. I ask everyone who loves Fulham and our Craven Cottage home to welcome Shahid as he begins his journey as the next guardian of Fulham Football Club.” Khan added: “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. “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.” Khan is president and owner of Flex-N-Gate Corporation, the 14th-largest North American automotive supplier. Flex-N-Gate’s products include interior and exterior plastics, lighting systems, mechanical assemblies, metal structural body components, and exterior metal parts. In December 2011, Khan’s agreement to purchase the Jacksonville Jaguars was unanimously approved by the NFL, making him the first minority team owner in league history. Khan’s personable approach, enthusiasm and bold vision for the Jaguars have since made him a popular figure in Jacksonville and throughout the NFL. In 1967, at the age of 16, Khan left his native Pakistan for the United States and opportunity to study engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He began working for Flex-N-Gate in 1970, while still an engineering student. Following his graduation from the University of Illinois in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Khan continued to work at Flex-N-Gate until 1978, when he left the company to start a new venture in designing and manufacturing innovative lightweight, continuous metal bumper systems, with no seams to corrode or rust. Today, nearly two-thirds of all North American pick-up trucks and sport utilities have bumper systems based on Khan’s designs and are manufactured and supplied by a Flex-N-Gate company. Khan returned to purchase Flex-N-Gate in 1980, building it into a global leader that today employs more than 16,000 people at 52 manufacturing and nine product development and engineering facilities throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Spain. A full statement from Mohamed Al Fayed follows: “It has been a pleasure and privilege to be the Chairman of Fulham Football Club for 16 memorable years. I am now delighted to be passing this great and historic Club into the care and stewardship of an outstanding man who has already achieved much in his life and will, I am sure, take Fulham on to even greater things. By his hard work, vision and determination, Shahid Khan has become a living embodiment of the American success story. His achievements speak for themselves. I met him twice prior to our successful transaction this week and have been very favourably impressed. I pay tribute to the way in which he has already, while still young, made his mark in the world. For my part, I am glad to be placing my precious Club into such good hands. I have loved every minute of my 16 years at the helm of the London club that was established in 1879, before all the other great clubs in the Capital. We have had some great times, down by the Thames. There have been notable successes, as champions of League One and winners of the Championship. We have had some memorable times in Europe. Fulham vs Juventus was probably the greatest game ever seen at Craven Cottage and the sight of the Fulham faithful filling their end of the Elbe Arena in Hamburg, at the UEFA Europa League final will be with me forever. But now is the right time for me to retire and spend time playing football with my grandchildren. I am sad but proud of our achievements. I am very grateful to Fulham’s fans, the most incredible fans in the world. They have given me their support and affection whenever they have seen me at home games. I would never let them down. I have passed the Club to a talented, honest and highly capable man who respects Fulham and its traditions. He is a great sportsman. Fulham is now embarking upon its 13th season in the Premier League. I bid farewell comforted by the knowledge that Fulham is a very well-run Club that has never been in better shape. I shall look to Shahid Khan to build on the success of the 16 seasons and to deliver the greater glory that the fans desire and deserve. I look forward to seeing you down at the Cottage where I shall return, on occasion, to cheer on the team. Now a new era dawns. Come on you Whites!” Source: http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/july/12/welcome-to-shahid-khan
This is an encouraging opening statement, regarding custodianship, etc. I sincerely hope he turns out to be a good owner but before he bows out I think we should all tip our collective hats to Mr Al Fayed who really did rescue us when things were pretty bleak and has helped us to the good fortune we are enjoying today. I, for one, will always be grateful to him. Thank you, sir, and may your God go with you.
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Thank you Mo you took us from the brink of extinction,to where we are today. Have a long and happy life.
Yes MAF has been first class and I thank him for all the good work that he has done in all areas of the Club. I welcome Mr Khan and hope he can match and build on the great work already achieved. I have many first thoughts on all of this but that is for another day. Thanks MAF !
Email message from Shad Khan to all Jaguar season ticket holders: "In a few moments, I will be announcing that I have negotiated the purchase of the Fulham Football Club of the Barclays Premier League. As a valued member of our Jaguars season ticket owner family, I want to personally share the news with you and provide a little background on Fulham F.C.. First, Fulham F.C. will operate as a fully stand-alone business from the Jaguars. Fulham and the Jaguars each have a great responsibility to their players, fans, partners and communities, and both deserve nothing less than a 100 percent commitment from ownership. In short, our pledge to you â a Jaguars franchise that is proud, bold and committed â remains unchanged. If you are unfamiliar with Fulham, Iâd like to offer a little background. Founded in 1879, Fulham F.C. is based in beautiful southwest London and is one of Englandâs most celebrated and storied soccer clubs. Fulham has competed in 12 consecutive seasons in the Premier League, one of the worldâs most popular sporting leagues. Fulham regularly plays to capacity crowds at historic Craven Cottage, which opened in 1896. You can learn more about Fulham at www.fulhamfc.com. And we hope youâll root for Fulham when our season begins on August 17th on the NBC Sports Network and its affiliates, which will carry all English Premier League matches. I am a longtime soccer fan and will join other NFL owners in the Barclays Premier League. Be assured, however, that my plans for the Jaguars are unaffected and unchanged. We are eagerly anticipating the opening of training camp under new head coach Gus Bradley. Our Draft Class of 2013 is generating buzz here and throughout the league. The regular season opener on Sunday, September 8th vs. Kansas City is only two months away. Weâre all celebrating the recent announcement of our agreement with the City of Jacksonville for $63 million in enhancements to EverBank Field in time for the 2014 season. New logos, uniforms, new helmets, all inspired by the call of Stand United ⦠there is a lot to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead. Please feel free to contact your season ticket holder representative with any questions or comments you may have. As always, thank you for your loyal support. Go Jaguars! And Come On You Whites! Shad Khan" Encouraging words and good on him for taking the time to inform Jag fans.
He could be great for you. However, he is a newcomer in NFL and now 'proper football'. His record as NFL owner isnt great...worst ever season in the clubs history. I dont know if this is transparent as it seems, as the Jaguars are already contracted to play several of their 'home' games in London over the next few years and they (up til now) have no fan base here. There has been serious talk of a UK based NFL team for some time and he seems to be making his move early to rival the Glazier's Buccaneers as the previous only possibility....Fulham Jaguars coming soon?! The NFL is very concerned by soccers growth (especially the popularity of the Prem) and are on the attack. The NFL will throw big bucks to the owner willing to take the plunge to allow their plan for global domination to proceed. This guy is a 'Franchise' owner willing to consider uprooting Jacksonville Jaguars from Jacksonville (rumours are rife before he was linked with Fulham). How safe is Fulham and it's major asset but yet it's achilles heel...its central London location worth shedloads but allowing no room for expansion? Could he sell Craven Cottage and groundshare with a NFL team but no longer in Fulham? We will learn more in a year or two when the NFL will make their play depending on the success of the Jaguars excursions to your city. My take: this is a fantastic aquisition for football...but the ball isnt round. Time will tell, and as a supporter of a fellow 'small' club, I hope I'm wrong. Good luck this season (apart from against us of course!) PS It is one impressive moustache!
Not sure yet what my expectations are, Gerrez. A few of us welcomed the potential purchase since Chairman Mo seemed satisfied just being in the EPL - for me that wasn't good enough. At the same time, though, there's trepidation about what any change will bring to an organization as old as FFC. Nobody wants Fulham moved to another location, but the Cottage is historic and hemmed in by the river and neighborhoods, so substantial renovations putting our capacity >30,000 seems unlikely. But I doubt Khan bought us to continue as we are. Before too long, I think we'll feel him straining to make the stadium and franchise bigger, and that will make some fans happy and others upset.
I'm glad to see both Al Fayed and Khan going out of their way to mention the Cottage in their statements. At the very least, the new guy seems to be aware of the issue. Time will tell whether he really intends us to stay or to move. I think this is definitely good news in the short term, and - depending on his take on the Cottage - could be good news in the long term. Incidentally, did Al Fayed rescue us 'in our hour of need'? To my mind if anyone deserves that claim it's Jimmy Hill. When Al Fayed bought the club we had just got promoted and had secured our long-term future at the Cottage after years of worry and doubt. Al Fayed has played a massive role in Fulham's progress since that point, but (if I can wax poetic) he steered us to the promised land after others had seen us safely through the troubled waters. That's not to say that we shouldn't be hugely grateful for all he's done - we should - but I've always been uncomfortable with the tendency to credit him with the deeds of his predecessors.
Totally justifiably, Mohamed Al Fayed deserves our thanks for his 16 years at Fulham. May he enjoy his grandchildren and we look forward to him coming to visit us soon. I reiterate: "Salaam Alekhem" C O Y W
I also wish MAF well. He's done so much for this club, not least paying off our debts before selling up - he could've easily walked away. Fair play to him and I wish him and his well. I echo the Supporter's Trust's thoughts as well, "an exciting, if uncertain time". Hopefully we can get a couple more players in this transfer window. Also, I wouldn't read too much into the Jaguars' fortunes. Different country, different sport, different world. I never understood why owners' history with football teams come into question anyway, most of them have little to do with the sporting side. Obviously moving from CC is a concern but that would be in question no matter what owner took over.
