Out of Play
Wembley sold: Shahid Khan, from immigrant with $500 in his pocket to self-made billionaire – meet Wembley’s new owner
SELF-MADE billionaire Shahid Khan is often called the face of the American Dream, with his opulent lifestyle an example to others.
The son of a Lahore construction worker, he arrived in the USA in the 1960s aged 16 with just $500 to his name – and now commands a global business empire.
His vast wealth has seen him purchase a gold piano for his £80million yacht, a Renoir masterpiece and incredible mansions – a far cry from his humble origins.
Khan was born in July 1950 in Pakistan.
His dad – one of 50-plus children – was a lawyer and entrepreneur who had seven wives while his mum, a maths professor, was the youngest of eight children.
Known for his extravagant facial hair, love of sport and infectious enthusiasm, Khan has become a celebrity in Jacksonville after fulfilling his 40-year dream of owning an NFL franchise.
It was 1967 when the young Khan first made the move away from his native Pakistan, where he enjoyed a relatively comfortable middle-class lifestyle.
He came to the US to study at the University of Illnois and within four years had graduated with a BSc in industrial engineering.
But it hadn’t started out easy for the teenager, who washed dishes for 85p an hour in his first job Stateside – and had to live in a £1.20-a-night room given to him by the YMCA.
The transformation from dish washer to billionaire began at car parts company Flex-N-Gate, who gave Khan a job once he graduated in 1971.
WEM-BER-LEAVE: ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
When could the sale be done?
The FA Board only received details of Shahid Khan’s offer this morning and the process will take weeks and possibly months. In the short-term, nothing will alter.
Will things change swiftly?
The FA Cup final next month will still be played at Wembley, as will England’s World Cup warm-up game with Nigeria on June 2.
The FA have already scheduled the November 15 friendly with the USA for the national stadium but have yet to confirm the venue for the September friendly with Switzerland or the home games against Spain and Croatia in the new Nations League that starts in September.
What does it mean?
Wembley chief executive Martin Glenn believes the proposed deal is a game-changer for English football, releasing funding for grass roots development that would otherwise be inconceivable.
The endowment fund for future grass roots projects will bring £500m into the development of the game at all levels, allowing better facilities, more coaches and opening up more opportunities for girls and women to play.
Are we going to get “McDonald’s Wembley”?
The FA have demanded that Khan agrees the ground remains known as ‘Wembley Stadium’, at least for now.
That suggests naming rights are not immediately on the agenda, although it keeps alive the possibility of “Wembley Stadium, sponsored by Panasonic” or whomever.
Will the FA Cup Final be moved away from Wembley?
Absolutely not. Khan is keen to ensure the marquee events held at the ground will continue to be staged there.
That includes the FA Cup Final and presumably the EFL Cup Final and play-off finals, as well as the majority of England home games.
But it could see the semi-finals reverting to ‘neutral grounds’ like Old Trafford, the Emirates or Villa Park in the future, preserving Wembley for the final.
One factor against that is that only Wembley can house 90,000 supporters.
Does this mean an NFL franchise in London?
It certainly looks that way, especially as the FA are preparing to send the England team ‘on the road’ round the country for the autumn games if fixtures clash with Jaguars home games in the NFL schedule.
Khan will presumably have already have consulted with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about his plans but any relocation of the franchise would still need to be approved by a vote of the 32 NFL team owners.
Taking a franchise out of the USA for the first time will be a big and controversial call, although it would open up the entire European market given the easy transport links to London.
But aren’t the NFL moving to Tottenham?
The NFL have certainly funded part of the cost of the new Spurs stadium at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy signed a 10-year deal to play two NFL matches per season at the new stadium last year, separate NFL-sized dressing rooms are being built in the East Stand of the 62,000-capacity ground and the grass pitch will be rolled out to allow NFL matches (and concerts) to take place on the artificial turf below.
Whether this means more games in London in addition to Jacksonville’s home matches is less clear but Levy will have signed a deal with cast-iron financial guarantees.
What about Chelsea – aren’t they going to move to Wembley?
Wembley was certainly the most likely option for the Blues as they embark on the £1billion-plus revamp of Stamford Bridge, although that is now now expected to start until at least the 2019-20 season, if not a year later.
Chelsea need to find a home for four seasons but the demands of the NFL fixtures from September through to the end of December – and beyond if the Jags secured home advantage for the play-offs – would appear to scupper that possibility, adding problems for Roman Abramovich and his board to overcome.
But if Khan loses interest – could Wembley be knocked down for housing?
No. There will be a cast-iron agreement in place that Wembley remains a sports and entertainment venue. In any event, Brent Council, the Mayor of London and the Government would have to approve such a huge conversion project and there seems no chance that they would assent to the permanent loss of such an iconic national building. The only real difference will be that the income – and costs – will be for Khan to deal with.
Just seven years later he broke away from the company and with his own savings founded Bumper Gate, which specialised in custom parts for pick-ups.
Its huge success meant that just two years later he returned to his old employers – and bought Flex-N-Gate for himself.
Over a 30-year period, Khan built up the company from local to worldwide supplier, cleverly cornering the lucrative Toyota market and expanding throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
By 2010, Flex-N-Gate had 12,450 employees and 48 manufacturing plants across the US, bringing in around £2.5bn in revenue for Khan.
In 2006, he splashed out £6million on a Chicago penthouse in which he has a Pompeii-inspired bathroom and priceless art.
But despite auto parts being the money-maker for Khan, his newfound wealth drew him towards his first love – sport.
He had a long-term relationship with Jacksonville – his company had a shipping port there – and the dream of owning an NFL franchise was formed all those years ago when he used to watch games on a clapped out TV between dish-washing shifts.
Khan’s first attempt at going into the NFL was in 2010 and although his 60 per cent bid for the St Louis Rams was rejected, a year later he had his hands on the Jags for a cool £543m.
As an NFL boss, Khan has broken the mould – speaking out against recent race issues, routinely joining his players on the field in a show of solidarity, and promoting the sport over in the UK.
From Twin Towers to the Arch for £757m
Dec 1996
Wembley selected as preferred site by Sport England for new national stadium.
Nov 1998
Project handed £120m lottery funding by Sport England.
Sept 2002
Old stadium demolished as government stumps up £20m in return for more control. WSNL secures £433m in bank loans for a project with revised cost of £757m.
Oct 2002
Construction finally begins on new Wembley Stadium.
March 2007
Work is finally completed at total cost around £1billion – over twice the £458m price quoted. Multiplex make £150m losses, later suing engineering consultants.
May 2007
Football returns to Wembley after almost seven years. Didier Drogba’s extra-time winner gives Chelsea 1-0 victory over Manchester United in FA Cup final.
Fulham was already on his radar after the Jags purchase and he bought the club from Mohamed Al Fayad in 2013, for what was rumoured to be around £150m-£200m.
The tycoon has flown his Jags over to Wembley every year since he took charge and always ensures that the home of Football is designated as a “home” game for Jacksonville.
Khan and his wife Ann – who have two children Tony and Shanna – have adopted Jacksonville as their own city, and the man who arrived with just $500 in his pocket was given American citizenship in 1991.
Now with a net worth of over £5.65bn and ranked the 158th wealthiest man in the world, Khan continues to give to charity and runs youth programmes in the inner-cities.
The Jags had their best season under Khan this year, reaching the play-offs for the first time since 2007 – and he’s keen to push them all the way to the Super Bowl one day.
With his hopes to establish an NFL franchise over in London, you’re likely to be seeing plenty more of that impressive moustache in the future.
A night guard at Ibuowo Estate, Okinni, Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, on Saturday, allegedly shot dead a 40-year-old man, Badmus Mohammed.
The guard, Rasaq Moshood, DAILY POST gathered, shot Mohammed, a tenant, who is popularly called Lasgidi dead with his dane gun.
His Landlord, Kazeem Jimoh told DAILY POST that he was at a bar with the deceased till midnight on Friday, before he was called on phone about his death.
According to Kazeem, his tenant was killed at the front of the house, while his door was left open.
“I and Kazeem were at a bar till past 12 when I left him.
“I didn’t sleep at home but I got a call around 1 a.m. that Lasgidi was killed by a guard. When i got home, I saw his door open, while his corpse was outside,” he said.
The Police spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident.
She noted that three night guards have been arrested with their dane guns.
According to her, “one Babatunde Olumide, the Chairman of Ibuowo Estate Okinni reported at dada Estate Divisional Police Hqts., that their night guard, one Moshood Rasaq used his dane gun to shoot one Mohammed Badmus, aged 40 years and he died instantly.
“Suspect has been arrested, gun used has been recovered, while the corpse has been taken to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.”
Opalola added that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, ending China’s longest crewed mission as it continues its quest to become a major space power.
The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft was the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to rival the United States, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.
Live footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule landing in a cloud of dust, with the ground crew who had kept clear of the landing site rushing in helicopters to reach the capsule.
The two men and one woman — Zhai Zhigang, Ye Guangfu and Wang Yaping — returned to Earth shortly before 10 am Beijing time (0200 GMT), after six months aboard the Tianhe core module of China’s Tiangong space station.
Ground crew applauded as the astronauts each took turns to report that they were in good physical condition.
Zhai was the first to emerge from the capsule roughly 45 minutes after the landing, waving and grinning at cameras as he was lifted by the ground crew into a specially designed chair before being bundled into a blanket.
“I’m proud of our heroic country,” Zhai said in an interview with CCTV shortly after leaving the capsule. “I feel extremely good.”
The trio originally launched in the Shenzhou-13 from China’s northwestern Gobi Desert last October, as the second of four crewed missions during 2021-2022 sent to assemble the country’s first permanent space station — Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace.”
Wang became the first Chinese woman to spacewalk last November, as she and her colleague Zhai installed space station equipment during a six-hour stint.
Mission commander Zhai, 55, is a former fighter pilot who performed China’s first spacewalk in 2008, while Ye is a People’s Liberation Army pilot.
The trio have completed two spacewalks, carried out numerous scientific experiments, set up equipment and tested technologies for future construction during their time in orbit.
The astronauts spent the past few weeks tidying up and preparing the cabin facilities and equipment for the crew of the incoming Shenzhou-14, expected to be launched in the coming months.
China’s previous record spaceflight mission length was set by last year’s Shenzhou-12 deployment, which lasted 92 days.
Six months will become the normal astronaut residence period aboard the Chinese space station, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Space race
The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a permanently crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon.
The country has come a long way in catching up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration.
But under Chinese President Xi Jinping, the country’s plans for its heavily-promoted “space dream” have been put into overdrive.
Besides a space station, Beijing is also planning to build a base on the Moon, and the country’s National Space Administration said it aims to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2029.
China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011 when the US banned NASA from engaging with the country.
While China does not plan to use its space station for global cooperation on the scale of the ISS, Beijing has said it is open to foreign collaboration although the scope of that cooperation is not yet clear.
The ISS is due for retirement after 2024, although NASA has said it could remain functional until 2030.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was underway.
Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.
“I have made the decision of a military operation,” Putin said in a surprise television announcement that triggered immediate condemnation from US President Joe Biden and sent global financial markets into turmoil.
Shortly after the announcement, explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and several other cities, according to AFP correspondents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his address to the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21, 2022. Alexey NIKOLSKY / Sputnik / AFP
Putin called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and justified the operation by claiming the government was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of the country.
The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.
The extent of Thursday’s attacks was not immediately clear, but Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario was playing out.
“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Kuleba tweeted.
“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.
NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.
Putin’s move came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional appeal late on Wednesday night to Russians not to support a “major war in Europe”.
Speaking Russian, Zelensky said that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine.
Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin but there was “no answer, only silence”, adding that Moscow now had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.
Earlier on Wednesday the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated February 22.
Their appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.
– ‘Moment of peril’ –
Putin had for weeks defied a barrage of international criticism over the crisis, with some Western leaders saying he was no longer rational.
His announcement of the military operation came ahead of a last-ditch summit involving European Union leaders in Brussels planned for Thursday.
The 27-nation bloc had also imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking figures including the commanders of Russia’s army, navy and air force, another part of the wave of Western punishment after Putin sought to rewrite Ukraine’s borders.
The United Nations Security Council met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Putin going unheeded.
“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died,” Guterres said.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.
Before Putin’s announcement, Ukraine had urged its approximately three million citizens living in Russia to leave.
“We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania.
Western capitals said Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.
Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could call up to 250,000 reservists.
Moscow’s total forces are much larger — around a million active-duty personnel — and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.
– High cost of war –
But Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from NATO members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.
Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists — a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days — and civilians living near the front were fearful.
Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.
“She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.
In a Russian village around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the border, AFP reporters saw military equipment including rocket launchers, howitzers and fuel tanks mounted on trains stretching for hundreds of metres.
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the NATO alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.
Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its NATO ambition and become neutral.
Washington Wednesday announced sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany had earlier effectively suspended by halting certification.
Australia, Britain, Japan and the European Union have all also announced sanctions.
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