Wembley sold: England will go on tour if Shahid Khan deal goes through as NFL games will take priority
ENGLAND will go back “on tour” in the autumn as a result of the £1billion sell-off of Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan.
In a move that may be welcomed by Three Lions fans outside the capital, the consequences of the shock sale will see the National Stadium ruled out as a venue option for England games in the first few months of the season.
Khan’s NFL franchise, currently called the Jacksonville Jaguars but set to be renamed if the switch is confirmed by American Football club owners, will take priority during the season.
It means that games in September, October and November - England play three or four matches in that window - could all be played away from Wembley, although matches in the first eight months of the year would stay in North London.
England have played the vast majority of their home games at Wembley since the £757m ground re-opened in 2007.
Roy Hodgson’s squad beat Turkey 2-1 at The Etihad in a Euro 2016 warm-up game in May of that year before a 2-1 victory over Australia at Sunderland a week later.
In June, Gareth Southgates Three Lions will meet Costa Rica at Elland Road while the FA announced only last week that September’s friendly with Switzerland would not be staged at Wembley.
Wembley was England’s main home from 1924, the stadium seeing the nation’s finest moment in 1966 and also the semi-final heartbreak against West Germany 30 years later.
WEMBLEY Q&A All the big questions answered on what Wembley's £1bn sale means
But after a 29-year gap, England began to play at other venues in the 1990s, drawing 3-3 with Sweden at Elland Road in the 1995 Umbro Cup, beating South Africa 2-1 at Old Trafford in 1997 and beating Belgium at Sunderland in 1999.
The closure of the old Wembley after the 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Germany in October 2000 that saw Kevin Keegan quit as manager saw England become a “national” team again.
Most read in football
Sven Goran Eriksson’s first match as England boss saw a 3-0 win over Spain at Villa Park in February 2001 and the Three Lions then played at Anfield, Derby’s Pride Park, White Hart Lane, St James’ Park, Old Trafford, Elland Road, Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium, Upton Park, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Ipswich and the Etihad.
WHO IS SHAHID KHAN? The amazing rags to riches story of the man paying £1bn to buy Wembley
The England players hailed the improved atmosphere as fans up and down the country got better access to the national team, which was for many years seen by some supporters as little more than another “London side”.
But cash concerns saw a change of emphasis in the last years before the Wembley return.
From October 2004, 10 out of England’s 13 home games were played at Old Trafford, with the exceptions being friendlies with Holland at Villa Park, Uruguay at Anfield and a World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan in Newcastle.
But billionaire Khan has moved quickly to insist that any disruption would not mean England loses the spiritual home of Wembley.
He said: "Wembley Stadium would return to private ownership and The Football Association would be able to focus on its core mission of developing players with the best player developers and facilities anywhere in the game, thanks in part to the vast financial benefit that would result from the transaction.
"I trust many if not most of you are also supporters of the England national teams, so I hope you welcome the potential of this becoming a reality.
"Always know Wembley would be home to the England national teams, and that we would strive every day of the year to be the best possible steward for a venue that is iconic and beloved here and throughout the world.