End of an era as Al Fayed sells Fulham

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Fulham have confirmed that Mohamed Al Fayed has sold the club to Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan.

The Pakistan-born billionaire’s takeover marks the end of an era for Fulham, who have been transformed from a struggling club in the bottom division to an established Premier League outfit during Al Fayed’s 16 years at the helm.

“It has been a pleasure and privilege to be chairman of Fulham Football Club for 16 memorable years,” said the 85-year-old.

“The time is right because I have found a very good man in Shahid Khan to accept the responsibility and privilege that I have enjoyed at Fulham since 1997.

“Fulham will be in very good hands with Shahid, whose success in business and passion for sport is very evident.

“I ask everyone who loves Fulham and our Craven Cottage home to welcome Shahid as he begins his journey as the next guardian of Fulham Football Club.”

The 62-year-old Khan, who moved to the United States aged 16, made his fortune selling car parts and has owned NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars since 2011.

He said: “Fulham is the perfect club at the perfect time for me.

“I want to be clear, I do not view myself so much as the owner of Fulham, but a custodian of the club on behalf of its fans.

“My priority is to ensure the club and Craven Cottage each have a viable and sustainable Premier League future that fans of present and future generations can be proud of.

“We will manage the club’s financial and operational affairs with prudence and care, with youth development and community programmes as fundamentally important elements of Fulham’s future.”

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