Editing Mohamed Al-Fayed (section)

===Fulham F.C.===
{{Main|Fulham F.C.#1997–2001: Al-Fayed takeover}}

Al-Fayed bought west London professional football club [[Fulham F.C.]] for £6.75&nbsp;million in 1997.<ref name="fulham-pushed">{{Cite news|date=7 February 2003 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2395783/Fulham-pushed-out-Hill.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2395783/Fulham-pushed-out-Hill.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Fulham pushed out Hill |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |first=Mihir |last=Bose}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The purchase was made via Bill Muddyman's Muddyman Group.<ref name="fulham-pushed"/> His long-term aim was that Fulham would become a [[Premier League]] side within five years. In the 2000–01 season, Fulham won the [[2000–2001 Football League#First Division|First Division]] under manager [[Jean Tigana]], winning 101 points and scoring 90 goals, and were promoted to the Premier League. This meant that Al-Fayed had achieved his Premier League aim a year ahead of schedule.<ref name="mirror23">{{cite web |last1=Polden |first1=Jake |title=Mohamed Al Fayed: Owner who promised Fulham fans Man Utd dreams and offered stars Viagra |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mohamed-al-fayed-offered-fulham-30845175 |website=Daily Mirror |access-date=3 September 2023 |date=1 September 2023 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902124353/https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mohamed-al-fayed-offered-fulham-30845175 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 2002, Fulham were competing in European football, winning the [[Intertoto Cup]] and participating in the [[UEFA Cup]]. Fulham reached the [[2010 UEFA Europa League final]], which they lost to [[Atletico Madrid]],<ref name="mirror23" /> and continued to play in the Premier League throughout Al-Fayed's tenure as owner, which ended in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fulham's relegation and the curse of Michael Jackson's statue |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27310805 |website=BBC News |access-date=3 September 2023 |date=7 May 2014 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903145911/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27310805 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fulham temporarily left [[Craven Cottage]] while it was being upgraded to meet modern safety standards. There were fears that the club would not return to the Cottage after it was revealed that Al-Fayed had sold the first right to build on the ground to a property development firm.<ref name="future-hangs">{{cite news |title=Fulham's future hangs in balance |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/3084328.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=15 September 2003 |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=12 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112222617/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/3084328.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Al Fayed congratulates Brian McBride.jpg|thumb|Al-Fayed congratulating [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] goalscorer [[Brian McBride]] in May 2008]]
Fulham lost a legal case against former manager Tigana in 2004 after Al-Fayed had wrongly alleged that Tigana had overpaid more than £7m for new players and had negotiated transfers in secret.<ref name="fulham-lose">{{cite news |title=Fulham lose Tigana court battle |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/4005735.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=12 November 2004 |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328073352/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/4005735.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, Al-Fayed said that he was in favour of a wage cap for footballers, and criticised the management of [[The Football Association]] and [[Premier League]] as "run by donkeys who don't understand business, who are dazzled by money."<ref name="sport-quotes">{{Cite news |date=29 April 2009 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/8024421.stm |title=Sport quotes of the week |work=BBC Sport |first=Chris |last=Charles |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=30 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130184955/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/8024421.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Fulham statue of Michael Jackson|A statue of the American entertainer]] [[Michael Jackson]] was unveiled by Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Craven Cottage. In 1999 Jackson had attended a league game against [[Wigan Athletic]] at the stadium. Following criticism of the statue, Al-Fayed said "If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world they can go to hell. I don't want them to be fans."<ref name="jackson-fulham">{{cite news|date=3 April 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12950708|title=Michael Jackson Fulham FC statue defended by Al Fayed|work=BBC News|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=25 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525184513/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12950708|url-status=live}}</ref> The statue was taken down by the club's new owners in 2013; Al-Fayed blamed the club's subsequent relegation from the Premier League on the 'bad luck' brought by its removal. Al-Fayed then donated the statue to the [[National Football Museum]].<ref name="Jackson statue moves to National Football Museum">{{cite news|date=6 May 2014|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27302594|title=Michael Jackson statue moves to National Football Museum|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-date=22 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922021024/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27302594|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2019, the statue was removed from the museum, with a spokesperson saying it had been planned for "several months" to introduce exhibits that "better represent" football; the removal followed accusations of child sexual abuse by Jackson in the documentary ''[[Leaving Neverland]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-47468074 |title=Michael Jackson statue: National Football Museum removes artwork |work=[[BBC News]] |date=6 March 2019 |access-date=27 January 2020 |language=en-GB |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128223317/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-47468074 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under Al-Fayed Fulham F.C. was owned by Mafco Holdings, based in the [[tax haven]] of [[Bermuda]] and in turn owned by Al-Fayed and his family. By 2011, Al-Fayed had lent Fulham F.C. £187&nbsp;million in interest free loans.<ref name="record-losses">{{Cite news |date=19 May 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/19/premier-league-finances-black-hole |title=Record income but record losses for Premier League |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |first=David |last=Conn |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=1 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201173253/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/19/premier-league-finances-black-hole |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2013, it was announced that Al-Fayed had sold the club to Pakistani American businessman [[Shahid Khan]], who owns the [[NFL]]'s [[Jacksonville Jaguars]].<ref name="Fulham Sold">{{cite news |title=Al-Fayed sells Fulham to Shahid Khan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23297785 |work=BBC Sport |date=12 July 2013 |access-date=12 February 2018 |archive-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001013222/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23297785 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5784727/2024/09/23/fulham-mohamed-al-fayed/|title=Fulham, Mohamed Al Fayed and the 'legacy of a man who was really a monster'|work=The New York Times |last1=Rutzler |first1=Peter |date=23 September 2024 }}</ref>