MPs WON’T QUESTION KHAN OVER WEMBLEY
SHAHID KHAn has not been invited to give evidence to Parliament on his bid for Wembley, despite being at the heart of the £1billion deal.
In a move that is likely to raise eyebrows, the PakistaniAmerican billionaire is currently not required to attend the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing in July. Instead, the FA, Sport England, and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch will be grilled by MPs on the benefits of a sale and the risks it could pose for the future of English football and the stadium. The DCMS committee announced last week that it would hold a one-off session on July 18 and had invited interested parties to submit written evidence. However, it would appear the committee — chaired by Damian Collins — did not think it necessary to quiz Khan. By last night, the committee had given itself the option of inviting Khan further down the line. A statement read: ‘We are principally looking at the decision to sell Wembley by the FA, and the conditions that might be attached to it, rather than investigating the bidder. There could also be other organisations coming forward with expressions of interest into buying Wembley. However, we have not ruled out calling Shahid Khan to be a witness and will consider this nearer to the time of the session.’
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan revealed yesterday that his team will meet the FA this week to seek assurances on the deal. He said he had a number of questions about the proposed sale and wanted to ensure ‘contractual’ reassurances were in place to safeguard the stadium.
The Mayor said: ‘Taxpayers’ money was used for Wembley. We are going to make sure the Cup finals take place at Wembley, semi- finals take place at Wembley, but also it is the home of England. Those assurances are really important. Also, we want to make sure that any money raised by the FA is used for grass-roots sport in London and around the country. There are all these questions for the FA. My experience of Shahid Khan, in terms of Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars, is that he loves sport. He is a firm believer in grass-roots sport. Let’s wait and see the details.’
Speaking at the unveiling of the Major League Baseball London Series 2019, which marks the first time MLB regular season games will be played in Europe — with a series at the London Stadium — he added: ‘We have to make sure we get that (public) money back. But also I want to see what reassurances we can get. They have to be proper reassurances, contractual if you like, to make sure Wembley is safeguarded for the future.’