Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Offers To Buy Wembley Stadium
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan appears poised to buy Wembley Stadium in London, the team announced Thursday.
The Football Association (FA) of England announced it has received an offer to buy the stadium.
The Jaguars have played one game in London in the NFL's International Series since 2013.
The team is scheduled to have a home game there in each of the next three seasons.
This season, Jacksonville will take on Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at Wembley Stadium on October 28.
"One of the many benefits of the Jaguars’ commitment to London has been our partnership with the FA and Wembley Stadium. Over the past several years, it became clearer to us and the FA that the idea of our purchase of Wembley Stadium made a lot of sense for all of us," Khan said in a statement. The games the Jaguars play at Wembley are essential to the financial stability of the Jaguars in Jacksonville, which is one of the smallest markets in the NFL."
Khan's purchase of the stadium gives speculation that the team might relocate there, but a move would take approval from the NFL's owners.
"We are very happy for Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport," the NFL said.
Khan is also the chairman of Fulham Football Club, which currently plays its home games at Craven Cottage. He said a Wembley takeover would ''have no impact on Craven Cottage,'' which is located in west London by the River Thames.
According to the Associated Press, selling off Wembley would give the FA about 500 million pounds to invest in grassroots soccer, which could increase the chances of the England team winning its first World Cup title since 1996.
''For the FA,'' Khan said, ''it would mean Wembley Stadium returning to private ownership, permitting the FA to direct its full attention to its mandate to develop talent and serve the game with the vast resources it would realize from the sale.''
Fulham is currently one point outside the promotion threshold to the Premier League with two games to play.
