Winners and losers: Shahid Khan's bid to buy Wembley from the FA and what it means for Spurs, Chelsea and England
A look at who stands to benefit (and lose out) should Khan complete a deal to buy Wembley
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shahid Khan has stunned football by making a structured £800m offer to buy Wembley Stadium from the FA in a bid to head off rival NFL franchises considering an attempt at relocating to London.
The American billionaire, who owns Fulham and the Jacksonville Jaguars, has long had visions of moving the Jags to London and becoming the owner of the first NFL team outside mainland America.
But what does this mean for the FA, who spent so much money to build Wembley as the new home of football?
And what of Tottenham, who factored NFL requirements in when building their new ground?
We look at the winners and losers:
WINNERS
Shahid Khan
The billionaire with the magnificent moustache has made a huge move - albeit an extraordinary gamble - that would put him in pole position to be the NFL owner that brings a franchise to London permanently.
All the specifics of relocation are dealt with in this magnificent piece, but Khan has now taken a huge step to bringing the Jags to Britain. As a business, the Jags would surge in value and Khan's investment in them and Wembley would pay off - pending league approval.
If Khan can pull off a deal for Wembley, make it a successful events space AND move an NFL franchise to London then he will not only be a very rich man but one of the most influential figures in US/UK sport.
The FA
While some traditionalists may bemoan the home of football being sold off, the fact is that this appears a wise business decision for the FA.
It would be the excuse they've wanted for taking England games around the country as well as FA Cup semi-finals.
Khan is understood to be open to a deal with the FA that cements certain fixtures, including the FA Cup final and Championship play-off final, into the Wembley calendar and as long as that is achieved, the FA would have far greater flexibility over where they host games. It would avoid the unsightly swathes of empty seats that governing bodies so fear and can help take the game back to people outside the capital.
Grassroots football
As a PR move alone, the FA are going to have to commit to reassigning some of the huge Wembley windfall on important things like grassroots facilities.
With the problems exposed by The Independent's recent seven-part series on the Nation's Game, it is clear that the FA has to do more to invest in the bottom of the football pyramid.
Should they fail to do so, the consequences are unthinkable. The FA must act now.
READ THE NATION'S GAME SERIES HERE
The NFL
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, is absolutely committed to having an 'international league' as his legacy and that begins with relocating a franchise to London.
We are a step closer to that, and what the NFL office has seen today is a franchise owner willing to unload an enormous amount of money to effectively secure pole position in the race. It's an important step in the process.
LOSERS
Chelsea
It appears difficult, now, that Chelsea would be able to continue with their plan of spending a season or possibly longer at Wembley while Stamford Bridge is being relocated.
Considering that one of the main alternative arenas touted was Milton Keynes, this could prove an issue.
Chelsea are obviously low on the list of Shahid Khan's priorities, but he may have unwittingly screwed them a little here.
Tottenham
The brilliant new stadium being built at White Hart Lane seemed a natural home for any potential London NFL franchise given they actually factored in the needs of American football teams into it when the ground was built.
But Khan making a major investment into Wembley appears to end any realistic chance of Tottenham being the home for an NFL team. At best they'd be looking at a couple of fixtures per season - honouring their current agreement with the NFL that runs until 2028 - and then an uncertain future after that.
It seems a shame, considering the team had made such valuable steps towards providing an NFL-ready facility and they were said to harbour more significant ambitions which may now need to be downscaled.
The city of Jacksonville
Jags fans must know what is coming.
Your owner, who is already hosting home games thousands of miles away in London, is trying to spend a billion dollars on buying a massive stadium in London and you don't think it's because he wants to move your franchise?
Well if you will believe that then I also have a bridge you may be interested in.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments