Who is the Fulham Owner? A detailed look into Fulham’s ownership history

Fulham is one of the oldest football clubs in English football, with their inception dating back to 1879. Although the Cottagers haven’t managed to win any First Division title in their history, they have reached the Europa League final once in 2010 and ended as runners-up of the FA Cup in 1974-75. Fulham have drifted between the Premier League and the second division in the last decade, but the last three seasons have seen the club playing their best football under Marco Silva, becoming a staple in the English top flight.

Established in 1879, Fulham moved to Craven Cottage, their current home ground, in 1896. After dominating the Southern League for several years, the Cottagers joined the Football League in 1907. Since then, they moved back and forth between the second and third divisions until 1949. Although the inconsistency continued in the next two decades, the club also had their best moments under Johnny Haynes, who is still considered Fulham’s best player of all time.

Club History

The Cottagers reached the finals of the FA Cup for the first time in 1975 but ended up losing 2-0 to West Ham United. Despite being anointed with legendary names like George Best, Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore, the club’s instability outside the top-flight persisted for many years. The initial years of the Premier League coincided with Fulham’s lowest ebb as they finished 17th in the 1994-95 Football League’s Third Division.

The 1997 season marked a turning point in the club’s history following Fulham’s acquisition by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, under whom the Cottagers experienced a change of fortunes. Under veteran English gaffer Roy Hodgson, Fulham enjoyed a great spell, finishing 7th in the Premier League in 2008/09 – their highest-ever league finish, while also qualifying for the inaugural Europa League. They exceeded expectations by entering the finals, only to lose to Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless, they had a stellar run in their second-ever European tournament, defeating the likes of Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk and Basel.

Despite Hodgson’s departure in 2010, the club maintained their top-flight status in the following years while producing impressive results, including the famous 1-0 win over Liverpool that broke their drought at Anfield.

The Londoners underwent a change in ownership in 2013, with Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan becoming the club’s chairman. Despite the fluctuating period in the following seasons, Marco Silva’s arrival in 2021 saw an upturn in Fulham’s fortunes, with the Cottagers proving to be a competent side in recent years.

History of Fulham owners

The late Mohamed Al-Fayed purchased Fulham for 6.25 million in the summer of 1997 with the vision of securing Premier League promotion sooner rather than later. As he dreamed, the Cottagers quickly became a staple in the Premier League and it was under his reign, that they enjoyed one of the brightest periods in their history manager Roy Hodgson, securing their highest-ever top-flight finish in the 2008-09 season, The club reached their highest watermark after ending as the runners-up in the inaugural edition of Europa League. As much as he was credited with Fulham’s revival, the Egyptian was also a constant subject of controversy.

Al-Fayed, who passed away last year, has been accused of sexual assault lately, with the Egyptian allegedly raping five women who worked at Harrods, the British Luxury Departmental store he had previously owned until 2010. In addition, 200 women have condemned him for sexual harassment.

Former Fulham women’s team manager Gaute Hagenes also revealed that Al-Fayed had a weakness for young and blond girls and the team’s players were well-protected from the Egyptian. Days ago, UK model Bianca Gascoigne came up with an accusation that she was also a victim of sexual abuse by Al-Fayed.

Pakistani-American billionaire acquired Fulham from Al-Fayed in 2013, ending the Egyptian’s 16-year association with the club.

Fulham’s Current Ownership

Al-Fayed brought an end to his 16-year stint at Fulham, with Shahid Khan taking over the reins in 2013, jumping on the bandwagon of American owners in the Premier League. The Pakistani-American, who owns NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars and co-owns Wrestling company AEW, acquired Fulham for reportedly around £200 million.

Shahid’s son, Tony Khan soon joined the Fulham family, becoming the club’s Vice Chairman and Head of Football Operations in 2017, in addition to his roles as the general manager and sporting director. Priorly, Tony created the statistical department at Fulham, bringing in a money-ball approach to transfer recruitment. Tony, who is the sole owner of the wrestling promotion Ring of Honor, also co-owns AEW (All Elite Wrestling) with his father Shahid.

Criticism of Fulham’s Current ownership

While Shahid’s takeover in 2013 promised Fulham could go to another level, the expectations weren’t quite met. As it turned out, The Cottagers’ status as a Premier League regular was disrupted in his first season, with relegation to the Championship. An inconsistency in results persisted in the following seasons, with the decisions regarding managers also scrutinised.

Tony Khan’s rise to power in the hierarchy saw things turn a corner for Fulham, who achieved promotion back to the Premier League in 2018. Alexander Mitrovic’s signing was considered one of the best in history as he would go on to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League, scoring more than 100 goals for Fulham.

Nevertheless, Tony is not a favourite among the Fulham faithful, who have constantly criticised him for his failure to elevate the club to newer heights. They are also unhappy about their Pakistani-American owners’ struggles to juggle AEW with Fulham, which hasn’t been as successful as the wrestling promotion.

Despite signing top-class players in recent years, Fulham have managed to punch above their weight only sporadically, and their inconsistency continues to hamper their hopes of a top-four finish and European qualification. In fact, their highest-ever finish in the Premier League – 7th place in 2008-09 – is yet to be bettered in more than a decade. 

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