Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeSportsFootballUS Billionaire Shahid Khan to Buy Wembley Stadium

US Billionaire Shahid Khan to Buy Wembley Stadium

Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan’s more than £500 million worth bid to buy Wembley Stadium from Football Association is the talk of the town.

The deal which will reportedly get finalized in coming months seems to have divided the English nation into proponents and opponents for many reasons.

Let’s have a look at what Wembley Stadium’s likely sell-out to Shahid Khan is all about.

Shahid Khan Buying the Wembley Stadium

Shahid Khan, the Pakistani-American business tycoon, has proposed to buy Wembley which is currently owned by Football Association. The news has sent the waves of shocks among concerned entities because the deal means selling off the national football stadium to an American. In other words, NFL games will now outweigh the England international games scheduled to take place at Wembley.

According to media reports, the overall deal is valued at £900 million, including £600 million of ground’s value that Shahid Khan will reportedly pay. The Football Association will continue to own and run Club Wembley which is valued at £300 million. So, FA will be able to keep the revenue that comes from the Club and other hospitability packages.

Football Association owns the new Wembley stadium that was completed in 2007 with an estimated amount of £800 million, from almost two decades.

Wembley Stadium

What do Proponents have to say?

Proponents of the Wembley Stadium sell-out deal argue that fund that will be raised as a result of the process will help upgrade the football pitches in England by making them weather resistant. Further, the expected new owners of Wembley Stadium who have deep pockets will spend more on renovation and associated projects.

What do opponents have to say?

Not everyone seems to be pleased with this deal. Opponents think that selling of the stadium to an American billionaire who is also an NFL team owner will mean more NFL games and less of England internationals at Wembley Stadium. Or in other words, England will not be able to use Wembley as its home stadium for all the games, particularly in autumn, as NFL schedules will take precedence.

Folks might also use the sell-out example to question the Brexit and other attempts of restoring the national identity.

Who is Shahid Khan?

Well, Wembley Stadium sell-out news has many perspectives. Mostly, there are those who are taking it from pro-Britain and Anti-Britain perspective. On the other hand, people are also talking about the aspect of selling out the stadium to a Pakistani Muslim, a view which is less significant.

Shahid Khan is a Pakistani-American business tycoon who rose to prominence for selling the spare parts, especially bumpers of cars. He is also the owner of NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham football club. Shahid Khan whose net worth is estimated around $8billion is 217th wealthiest man in the world according to Forbes 2018. He is also the wealthiest man of Pakistani origin.

Khan’s life journey as a successful entrepreneur is itself a case study for how a person’s vision can make him/her achieve significant in life. One can expect Wembley Stadium to transform into a venue for cross-national games hosting under the ownership.

 

Share
RELATED ARTICLES
- Advertisment -

Latest