The Jacksonville Jaguars "are planning to play an NFL game at Wembley every year until 2030" in a move that will finally put to rest reports that Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jaguars and Fulham FC, "might be tempted to sell the west London club and buy Tottenham Hotspur to use their proposed new stadium as a base for his American football expansion," according to Alyson Rudd of the LONDON TIMES.
A proposed three-party agreement between the NFL, Wembley and the Jaguars "could mean that up to five NFL games are hosted at the national stadium each season."
There was not, according to Khan, even "a kernel of truth" to the Tottenham reports. Khan: "You can’t correct every rumor, but I was surprised and had to consider the morale of the people at Fulham and the people at Wembley, so we called them out on it." Khan thinks that the NFL "can absorb five games per season being played abroad, but no more, and hopes for more 'synergy' between his two football clubs" (LONDON TIMES, 8/21). In Jacksonville, Hays Carlyon reported Khan's spokesperson Jim Woodcock released the following statement. He said, "There is no agreement, but discussions have been frequent and promising. Shad and the Jaguars have been clear that the London agreement has been extremely successful and essential to the local revenue streams and long-term viability of the franchise in Jacksonville, and that an extension of the current agreement would be welcomed. That said, this is ultimately a decision that will be made by the NFL" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/21).
