Khan opens up
Q Why now? A ‘It just makes good sense for all parties.’
Q Is this a good deal for the Jaguars?
A ‘It’s very important. We’re the smallest team in the NFL and our annual game gives us exposure.” Q Can you ease Fulham fans’ concerns? A ‘Craven Cottage is a jewel. It stands on its own.’ Q You said Wembley will remain England’s home. What of club finals?
A ‘I absolutely see that continuing at Wembley.’
Pockets suitably filled, Khan subsequently bought out his old employers at Flex-n-gate, soon acquiring contracts to supply all Japanese-produced trucks that were imported to the US.
As the riches began to flow, he found himself on the lookout for new opportunities. An attempt to purchase the St Louis Rams was scuppered in 2010 by part-owner Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder of Arsenal, but an opportunity to pounce on the Jaguars appeared a year later.
The deal, at a cost of
$770 million, made him the first member of an ethnic minority to own an NFL team, and the reaction to a Muslim moving into America’s most popular sport prompted a vile response from some in the country’s more conservative corners.
Khan was labelled a “sand monkey” and a “terrorist from Pakistan”, while one person asked whether season tickets would come with a prayer rug. “It gave me more determination,” he has said. The purchase also gave him a greater profile. He was now one of the sport’s most influential figures and, thanks in part to his extravagant facial hair, he has become known nationwide.
“In sport, there is huge visibility,” he said in 2013. “You are in a 24-hour news cycle. Every mistake you make is out there. You are judged.”
Fortunately for Khan, there have not been many of those mistakes. He is popular in Florida, and at Fulham, which he bought from Mohamed Fayed in 2013 for a deal worth £150 million-£200 million. It helped Khan’s cause that he was able to score an easy PR victory by removing the ghastly Michael Jackson statue that had been erected by Fayed.
There have been hiccups, though, and despite Khan’s impressive CV, and bank balance, there are still reasons for the FA to feel a little jittery at the prospect of the national stadium falling into his hands. Those doubts may revolve around who takes control when Khan no longer runs his empire.
His son, Tony, has had a mixed record at Fulham, where he serves as vice chairman and director of football operations. He appointed Craig Kline, his college friend, with the remit to revolutionise the club’s transfer record, prompting public opposition from Jokanovic, who won the battle after Kline fell out with Khan.
Sources close to Khan say there would be no plans to sell Wembley if any purchase was completed, so a change of leadership remains a distant prospect. It does, however, provide a curious footnote to a deal which many at the FA see as having no major downsides.