Now of course I am going to go into more detail then this by simply put, two concrete reasons why selling Wembley stadium is ludicrous.
I see myself as a bit of a purist when it comes to football. I feel the history of our game is being pushed further and further into the background and that simply should never happen. Now, Wembley Stadium only came into ownership of the FA in 1999, so for the vast majority of time, Wembley has been owned by an outside party. The ownership is not the problem here, the problem is the bidder. I personally have nothing again Shahid Khan or any of his business ventures, I feel however that selling to the billionaire could damage English football substantially. Simply put, the future of the home of football would be in the hands of a man who wants to use it as an American football stadium. Khan's offer would currently see the FA still able to host major cup finals at Wembley and a selection of England internationals; with the money from those events going to the governing body.
However Khan is a businessman. Say once the original contract signed with the FA runs out, Khan doesn't feel like doing business anymore and he wants total control of Wembley so he receives 100% of it's revenue. The FA will be powerless to stop him. THEN say his beloved Jacksonville Jaguars have a huge game which falls on the same day as a major international for England, which game do you think he will host at Wembley? All very hypothetical yes, but the possibility should never be there. England should not be playing their football away from their home, while American football is taking place under Wembley's arch.
Plenty of pundits and fellow Journalists have used the argument that not many of the world's elite have their own national stadium. Germany? No. Spain? No. Italy? No. The list does go on. Now, a national stadium is not essential to a country's success, a success that England have gone without since 1966. Wembley Stadium is a venue players and fans alike from all around the world dream of visiting. Right now, English football is looked down upon in a way unlike we have ever seen. Our football is shocking, our fans are embarrassing and our attitude is stuck in the past. What do we, as a country, have going for us? We have an iconic stadium which is envied the world over. Obviously Khan isn't going to airlift the ground to Jacksonville, but that isn't the point. A landmark of the game would have been struck from the map the second the new landlord decides that football is not longer the primary sport of Wembley stadium.
Staying on the topic of a Khan owned Wembley. I personally have never gotten into American Football, and a huge reason for that is the over riding sponsorship influence. An influence that has slowly leaked it's way into football. Sponsors are everywhere in the American sport, and as previously mentioned, that sport will be Khan's priority for Wembley. What happens when a multi national corporation with bottomless pockets comes along and hands Shahid a blank cheque for the naming rights of Wembley stadium? After all, Metlife, AT&T, Fedex, all major companies sponsoring stadiums the size of Wembley over in American within the NFL. Where do the Jaguar's play? The recently renamed TIAA Bank Field, you guessed it, the ground is named after the bank that sponsors them. This is the second time during Khan's ownership that he has sold the name of the ground, he isn't above it. That simply CAN NOT happen to Wembley.
Moving from pointing the finger at Khan and moving it to the FA. Without a doubt, the story pushed to the press will be that the windfall will be used to benefit grass roots football and all that comes with that. However, over the years the FA have not filled us with confidence that they will stick to their words in any way shape or form. Erratic behaviour over the past decades have lead the public to see the people making the decisions in a very negative light, and has cost the FA the trust of the people. It is 100% right to want to improve facilities for young players all around the country, building all weather pitches, providing coaches and equipment for local sides. It's what has been cried for by players across the land for years. But with the amount of money in the game right now, do you not get the idea it would have happened by now if it was going to, at all?
Solid reasoning that speaks to the football fans out there, now for the business people.
"The FA will take £600 million, clear the debt that Wembley played a part in causing, and then redistribute it within the game." Well this just isn't true at all. The money deposited to the FA's bank account will be substantially smaller then that. £112 million of public money was provided in order to finish construction of the new Wembley. That public money was donated to the FA, but not for a definite purpose so that total would be available to redistribute into grass roots football should the FA take the offer.
However, £78 millions from Sport England; £18.5 million from the department of culture, sport and media; and £16.2 million from the London Development agency were all donated for a specific cause. To build a beacon for English football upon historically significant ground. A beacon which would be under the ownership of the English Football Association who will have the opportunity to use it to move the game in this country forward.
That ideology would die the second the deed was signed over to Khan. Meaning the money invested by the previously listened organisations would be returned. That just leaves the debt still within Wembley. At one point that debt totalled over £400 million, but has now been whittled down to around £140 million. The sale of Wembley would not change this fact, and the influx of funds would have to go towards paying off the debt. Once you do the maths the only sizeable amount left of the £600 million offer is the public money, which as mentioned, would be left to redistribute into grassroots as stated. However once again, the FA have done themselves no favours and any statement made by them must be taken with a pinch of salt at this point. Would we see any of that money in grassroots? It's up in the air.
A statue of the late great Bobby Moore stands outside a ground which symbolises the home of not just English football, but the sport as a whole. Where this great game was invented. Although this new instalment of Wembley may not carry the same history as the old. The arch after all, is no twin towers. But Wembley will forever be Wembley. At this point the relationship between the English Football Association and the English fan is dwindling. The sale of Wembley might just be the nail in the coffin. Sahid Khan said that people opposed to his deal need to 'see past their emotion.' He clearly doesn't know English football. We have little all else to go on!
So... simply put.
To Whom It May Concern,
Don't you dare sell Wembley.
Yours faithfully,
The future of English football.
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