Ex-owner: Fulham relegated due to removal of Michael Jackson statue

Former owner Mohammad al-Fayed has claimed that British football team Fulham would not have been relegated from the Premier League if the new owner had not removed a statue of Michael Jackson from outside the club’s home ground.

Al-Fayed commissioned the statue which his successor, Shahid Khan, removed last September.

“This statue was a charm and we removed the luck from the club and now we have to pay the price,” Fayed said. “When [Khan] asked me to move it I said: ‘You must be crazy.’ This is such a fantastic statue which the fans are crying out for. But now he has paid the price because the club has been relegated. He called me because he told me he wanted Michael to return. I told him, no way.”

Speaking about its presentation to the museum, Fayed said: “Michael is a fantastic example for everyone. He came from nowhere and showed fantastic determination to be a superstar and I am very glad that he is now in this great institution for people to enjoy.”

Fayed’s comments came as Fulham’s manager, Felix Magath, apologized to the fans in an open letter for the club’s relegation. “We as a team, and I include myself and management, would like to apologise for our bad performance on Saturday. It certainly was not what you as fans were expecting and should rightfully demand of us.”