Harrods boss and soccer club owner Mohamed Al-Fayed has lashed out at British sport fans protesting a Michael Jackson statue at his team's London stadium. Supporters of Fulham Football Club in London are outraged by the six-foot (1.8-metre) golden statue of the King of Pop, which was commissioned by Al-Fayed and unveiled on Sunday, April 3.
Hundreds of supporters have signed a petition opposing the golden memorial, with one Fulham supporter, Lee Robinson, telling The Guardian, "Why us? Fulham football fans do not want a statue of Michael Jackson. It's completely mad. He's got nothing to do with us. To be honest, he's the last person you'd want there."
But Al-Fayed, an old friend of the King of Pop, is refusing to listen to his club's fans, telling protesters to "go to hell" if they don't support the statue. He tells the Press Association, "Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell."
"I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to (rival London team) Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else. People will queue to come and visit it from all over the U.K. and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of."
Jackson once visited the soccer club in 1999 as a guest of Al Fayed. The pop star was given a standing ovation by thrilled fans as he walked around the soccer pitch waving a Fulham scarf and holding one of the team's official umbrellas.
Hundreds of supporters have signed a petition opposing the golden memorial, with one Fulham supporter, Lee Robinson, telling The Guardian, "Why us? Fulham football fans do not want a statue of Michael Jackson. It's completely mad. He's got nothing to do with us. To be honest, he's the last person you'd want there."
But Al-Fayed, an old friend of the King of Pop, is refusing to listen to his club's fans, telling protesters to "go to hell" if they don't support the statue. He tells the Press Association, "Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell."
"I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to (rival London team) Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else. People will queue to come and visit it from all over the U.K. and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of."
Jackson once visited the soccer club in 1999 as a guest of Al Fayed. The pop star was given a standing ovation by thrilled fans as he walked around the soccer pitch waving a Fulham scarf and holding one of the team's official umbrellas.