Wembley Stadium will not be sold by FA, as Shahid Khan withdraws £600m offer

The FA has confirmed the offer to buy Wembley Stadium outright has been withdrawn and will therefore continue to be run as a home of English football.

Billionaire Shahid Khan, the owner of NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars and Premier League Fulham, tabled an £600m bid earlier this year which the FA Council were set to vote for or against at a meeting next week.

The bid by Khan, however, has been pulled citing inside knowledge for a lack of support behind the sale of the 90,000-seater stadium. But this hadn’t dissuaded him from totally giving up hope of launching another bid in the future.

“The intent of my efforts was, and is, to do right by everyone in a manner that strengthens the English game and brings people together, not divides them,” Khan told a source.

“Unfortunately, given where we are today, I’ve concluded that the outcome of a vote next week would be far from sufficient in expressing the broad support favoured by the FA chairman to sell Wembley Stadium.

“Until a time when it is evident there is an unmistakable directive from the FA to explore and close a sale, I am respectfully withdrawing my offer to purchase Wembley Stadium.”

FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, said: “Earlier this year, The FA received an unsolicited official offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium. It was a very credible offer and was given very serious consideration.”

Wembley is in the midst of hosting three NFL matches as part of the sport‘s International Series, a part of the NFL season which sees matches played outside the US with London acting as the main hub ahead of Mexico City.