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Fans worried as NFL owner buys iconic London stadium, addresses relocation

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Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan confirmed Thursday he has put in an offer to buy the iconic Wembley Stadium in London.

The BBC put Khan’s bid at $1.26 billion ($837 million for the stadium and $419 million for Wembley’s hospitality business).

The London Evening Standard reported his offer was going before Football Association of England’s board of directors Thursday.

The stadium, considered England’s premier soccer field, has hosted 18 NFL international games, and the Jaguars have played there five times.

Many reached the obvious conclusion that Khan’s move is a step toward making Wembley the team’s permanent home.

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But Khan tried to assuage the fears of Jacksonville fans.

In a statement Thursday, the Jaguars owner said purchasing Wembley “would deliver another — and very significant — asset and local revenue source that would further strengthen our investment in London, which as everyone knows is crucial to the Jaguars’ continued sustainability in Jacksonville.”

Do you think Shahid Khan plans to move the Jaguars to London?

“Today’s news changes none of what we envision for the long-term promise for the Jaguars here in Jax, and it changes nothing as to the goals we have for your downtown,” Khan said. “If anything, today’s news is the embodiment of the ethos we adopted several years ago of being proud, bold and committed.”

He said in a separate statement that buying Wembley would “protect the Jaguars’ position in London at a time when other NFL teams are understandably becoming more interested in this great city. …

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“And the stronger the Jaguars are in London, the more stable and promising the Jaguars’ future will be in Jacksonville.”

While some fans took him at his word, others were dubious.

https://twitter.com/TravisCatch/status/989506376841027585

Whatever the case, the purchase has the support of the NFL.

“We are very happy for Shad Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Mark Waller, NFL executive vice president of events and international, said in a statement Thursday. “The potential purchase of Wembley Stadium is a further powerful sign of their commitment to the UK and their vision to help us grow the sport.

“Having stadium options in London has always been critical to the NFL and, in tandem with our 10-year partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, this new relationship would allow for even greater flexibility in scheduling future NFL games in London.”

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Todd Windsor is a senior story editor at The Western Journal. He has worked as an editor or reporter in news and sports for more than 30 years.
Todd Windsor is a senior story editor at The Western Journal. He was born in Baltimore and grew up in Maryland. He graduated from the University of Miami (he dreams of wearing the turnover chain) and has worked as an editor and reporter in news and sports for more than 30 years. Todd started at The Miami News (defunct) and went on to work at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., the St. Petersburg (now Tampa Bay) Times, The Baltimore Sun and Space News before joining Liftable Media in 2016. He and his beautiful wife have two amazing daughters and a very old Beagle.
Birthplace
Baltimore
Education
Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Media, Sports




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