KHAN’S WEMBLEY BID D-DAY
THE proposed £600million Wembley sale to Fulham owner Shahid Khan hangs in the balance at a crucial FA board meeting today. If there is not a strong recommendation for the deal from the 12-strong group of directors, it is likely the negotiations with the American will be called off immediately. And there is significant concern inside the FA that two or three National Game representatives on the board might oppose the purchase, which could be enough to scupper the sale. FA chairman Greg Clarke has made clear that he wants almost unanimous support from his board to off-load the national stadium to the owner of NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars. Around 80 councillors from the National Game, such as county FA representatives, attended a meeting last week at which deep reservations were expressed about losing control of Wembley and over how the proceeds would be distributed to grassroots football. However FA staff were not invited to the summit and the belief is that many of those in the room did not fully understand the fine detail of a complicated agreement, including how the Football Foundation charity will allocate the money. This will not be the case today as FA chief executive Martin Glenn has complete knowledge of all the intricacies in the proposed deal and will speak persuasively to get it across the line. However there is another big obstacle looming next month with a special FA Council meeting set for October 11. There Clarke is looking at comprehensive backing from the blazers for the deal to go ahead. And even if Clarke gets his mandate for the sale today, it could be a different story in a fortnight.