English football now has yet another American owner ? after flamboyant billionaire Shahid Khan bought Premier League side Fulham for around GBP 150 million. Fulham?s long-term owner was ex-Harrods boss Mohammed Al-Fayed, who became a household name after his son Dodi dated Princess Diana. Al-Fayed says he is retiring to spend more time ?travelling and seeing the world.?
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Fulham?s appeal to Khan is easy to understand; they are debt-free club who have been in the Premier League for 13 consecutive seasons, with a stadium based in one of the most glamorous and expensive areas of London.
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New Fulham FC owner Shahid Khan:
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"Well I've been a fan. Last game I was here I think was 2007 I watched Liverpool play here and I think it's a historic club, it's a special club. And so I'm at a stage in life where this is absolutely a perfect club and I was in touch with Mr Al Fayed about a month or so ago to see what his interests were and it just turned out."
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Khan was born in Pakistan and made his fortune as a car-parts manufacturer. The 62-year-old also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL franchise. Fulham?s new owner said he intends to increase the capacity of their Craven Cottage ground to 30,000.
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However the purchase is likely to intensify fears among fans over debt and franchising in English football. Manchester United have been loaded with hundreds of millions of pounds of debt by the American Glazer family, who continue to pay themselves an annual dividend with the club?s profits.
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The 20-team English Premier League, home to some of the most valuable and historical teams in world sport, now has six clubs owned by Americans. If the trend continues, fans may fear that brash US owners may look to emulate the NFL and play some Premier League games across the Atlantic.
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Source: http://jn1.tv/video/sport/us-billionaire-buys-english-football-side.html
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