Why has the Wembley sale been scrapped and has Shahid Khan pulled out of the £600m deal?
THE sale of Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan has been scrapped, the FA have revealed.
Khan, who also owns NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars, was set to pay £600m for the stadium but the deal will now not be going ahead.
Why has the sale of Wembley been scrapped?
Shahid Khan has pulled out of the deal, citing a lack of public support for his bid.
An FA statement said: "Earlier this year, The FA received an unsolicited official offer from Shahid Khan to buy Wembley Stadium.
"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.
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"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."
What does this mean for England, the NFL and the FA Cup?
Shahid Khan's purchase of Wembley was seen as the forerunner to the Jacksonville Jaguars moving to London to become the NFL's British franchise.
Although the sale does not rule this out entirely, it does make any NFL team's move to London far less likely in the near future.
The FA were also set to move more England games, plus the FA Cup semi-finals, away from Wembley once Khan purchased the stadium, but may now need to continue holding them at the national stadium to generate additional revenue.