New Fulham Boss Plans To Remove Michael Jackson Statue From Stadium, As Per Al Fayed's Request

The Michael Jackson statue that was unveiled outside Fulham Football Club's Craven Cottage stadium in 2011 is to be removed by the clubs new owner Shahid Khan. Khan has since stated that he is removing the statue of the King of Pop as per the request of former owner Mohammed Al Fayed, who will re-erect the statue at one of his many other properties.

The Michael Jackson statue that currently sits outside Craven Cottage

Since it was first installed in 2011, the statue garnered criticism from fans who said the money could have been spent better and that the late singer had no connection to the South London club. At the time of it's unveiling, Al Fayed insisted that Jackson was a fan of Fulham (in spite of the fact that he was only ever spotted once in the South London area) and stood by his decision to keep the statue at the back of the Hammersmith stand. When met with further criticism and ridicule from supporters, Al Fayed told them they can "go to hell."

Al Fayed at the unveiling of the statue

According to The Independent, not every Fulham fan was opposed to the statue, which featured an engraving of some of Michael's lyrics and a quote from former club captain Dickson Etuhu, as some saw the appeal of associating their club with the late King of Pop. A spokesperson for the club said: "The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course."

The decision from Al Fayed to remove the statue will come as a relief to new owner Khan, after Al Fayed threatened to chop off the new chairman's moustache if he attempted to remove the statue himself.

Would you want this outside your football stadium?