Statue of Michael Jackson facts for kids
The statue outside Craven Cottage, London
|
|
| Location | National Football Museum, Manchester |
|---|---|
| Type | statue |
| Material | Plaster and resin |
| Height | 7.5 feet (2.3 m) |
| Opening date | 3 April 2011 |
The Michael Jackson Statue is a plaster and resin sculpture of Michael Jackson commissioned by Mohamed Al-Fayed and originally unveiled in 2011 outside Craven Cottage, the ground of Fulham Football Club of which Al-Fayed was chairman. It was removed by new Fulham chairman Shahid Khan in 2013 and moved to the National Football Museum in Manchester in 2014. It was removed from display in 2019.
Statue
The statue is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) high and is made of plaster and resin.
Inspiration
Jackson was a friend of Al-Fayed. He had attended a football match, in 1999, at Craven Cottage as a friend of Al-Fayed to see Fulham play Wigan Athletic. Following Jackson's death in 2009 Al-Fayed commissioned a statue with the plan of siting it inside Harrods in Knightsbridge, London, at the time owned by Al-Fayed. After Harrods sale the new Qatari owners did not want it and he arranged for the statue to be placed outside Craven Cottage.
Removal and resiting
In July 2013, Shahid Khan completed the purchase from Al-Fayed, of Fulham FC, for a fee believed to be between £150m and £200m. In September 2013 it was decided that the statue would be removed and returned to Al-Fayed; the statue was not part of the ground's redevelopment plans. On 3 May 2014 Fulham were relegated from the Premier League after 13 seasons in the league, the top tier of English Football. Mohamed Al-Fayed blamed the removal of the statue for causing the club's relegation. The statue was moved to the National Football Museum in Manchester in May 2014. On 6 March 2019, the statue was removed from the National Football Museum.
