England FA Confirms Shahid Khan Pulls Out Of Wembley Stadium Deal

The Football Association has confirmed that Wembley Stadium will no longer be sold after Shahid Khan has pulled his bid.

It's long been reported that the Fulham owner was interested in acquiring the national team's stadium, with the FA keen to move ahead with a deal to bring in additional revenue.

"Earlier this year, The FA received an unsolicited official offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium," the FA's chief executive, Martin Glenn, posted in a statement on the website.

"It was a very credible offer and was given very serious consideration.

"Shahid Khan has informed us today that he will be withdrawing his offer to buy the stadium -- and we fully respect his decision.

"Mr Khan believed that his offer to buy Wembley Stadium would release funds to help improve community football facilities in England and that it would be well received by all football stakeholders.

"At a recent meeting with Mr Khan he expressed to us that, without stronger support from within the game, his offer is being seen as more divisive than it was anticipated to be and has decided to withdraw his proposal.

"Wembley Stadium is an iconic venue that is revered around world and it will continue to thrive under the ownership and direction of The FA.

"There has been much deliberation on both sides of this debate and it has undoubtedly raised awareness of the issue that community football facilities in England need significant investment.

"We would like to thank the football stakeholders, Government, FA board and council members for their collaborative approach throughout this process. We will continue to work together to identify new and innovative ways of investing in community football facilities in the future."

Wembley reopened its doors in 2007 after its reconstruction. It has also been the home to Tottenham Hotspur since last season while their new stadium is under construction.

Should the FA consider any future bids for Wembley?

Let us know in the comments.

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Topics: Football News, Football, Wembley Stadium, FA

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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