{"id":363659,"date":"2011-04-03T13:31:08","date_gmt":"2011-04-03T13:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/03\/al-fayed-defends-jackson-statue%e2%80%8e\/"},"modified":"2011-04-03T13:31:08","modified_gmt":"2011-04-03T13:31:08","slug":"al-fayed-defends-jackson-statue%e2%80%8e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/03\/al-fayed-defends-jackson-statue%e2%80%8e\/","title":{"rendered":"Al Fayed defends Jackson statue\u200e"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n \t\t
\n 3 April 2011<\/span>
\nLast updated at <\/span>09:31 ET<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Fulham chairman Mohammed Al Fayed has told fans they can “go to hell” if they do not appreciate a new Michael Jackson statue at Craven Cottage stadium.<\/p>\n

Mr Al Fayed unveiled the statue on Sunday prior to the west London Premier League team’s match against Blackpool.<\/p>\n

The statue was commissioned following Jackson’s death in June 2009 and was due to be erected at Harrods before Mr Al Fayed sold the Knightsbridge store.<\/p>\n

“Why is it bizarre? Football fans love it,” he said after the unveiling.<\/p>\n

‘Stupid fans’<\/span><\/p>\n

“If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell.<\/p>\n

“I don’t want them to be fans.<\/p>\n

“If they don’t understand and don’t believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else,” he added.<\/p>\n

Mr Al Fayed’s decision to relocate the statue of Jackson to Fulham’s stadium is likely to divide opinion.<\/p>\n

The singer was a friend of Mr Al Fayed’s but his only known link to the football club is that he attended one game as a guest of the chairman, against Wigan Athletic in 1999.<\/p>\n

But Mr Al Fayed said: “People will queue to come and visit it from all over the UK and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of.” <\/p>\n

Tony Curtis<\/span><\/p>\n

Kit Symons, who played in the match Jackson attended in 1999 and is now under-18s manager at the Cottagers said: “It is great.<\/p>\n

\n\tContinue reading the main story<\/a>\t<\/p>\n

\u201cStart Quote<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

We have the deepest respect for everything about the chairman. If he wants to do this then it is all good\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

End Quote<\/span>
\n\tBrede Hangeland<\/span>
\n\tFulham<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

“The big thing is it is obviously something that the chairman feels very, very passionately about and he has decided to erect this statue and fair dos to him.”<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the time of Jackson’s visit, he added: “It was just happy times.<\/p>\n

“The chairman obviously used to bring high profile people down the games.<\/p>\n

“Tony Curtis was here a few weeks after and it was just fantastic times.”<\/p>\n

Central defender Brede Hangeland said the decision to erect the statue was backed by the club’s players.<\/p>\n

He said: “Some of our players are Michael Jackson fans, some aren’t, and that’s the same in the general population.<\/p>\n

“His music has been on in the dressing room a couple of times. I’m sure we won when his music was played!<\/p>\n

“We have the deepest respect for everything about the chairman. If he wants to do this then it is all good.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Read the original post:
\nAl Fayed defends Jackson statue\u200e<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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