Today it was announced by Fulham chairman Muhamed Al Fayed that a statue of Michael Jackson will be unveiled outside Craven Cottage on April 3. Fayed was a longtime friend of the pop star before his death two years ago.
From ESPN Soccernet:
[Al Fayed told Fulham's official website: "Michael Jackson was truly a legend, a term used too often in this modern world saturated in the hyperbole surrounding celebrity.
"He was my friend, a man with whom I shared many happy memories and who died a tragic and untimely death. He left behind a legacy of music so vast it takes one's breath away; from a precocious talent to an ingenuity and ground breaking modernity that shall never be repeated.
"It shall often be imitated, but it will never be replicated, Michael Jackson was, and shall always remain, one of a kind.
"I hope that many fans of his will visit the statue at the Cottage from far and wide, and that Fulham fans will appreciate seeing the finest performer in the world, in and amongst them, the finest fans in the world."]
This media move comes at a time when the club is languishing in the middle of the English Premier League table en route to an average season. No doubt it will serve as a ploy to gain more favorable coverage.
In 1999, MJ visited the club (his only visit) to take in a match. Here's the video from that day.
Interesting decision to erect this kind of statue outside a soccer stadium which has nothing to do with the sport. So, will Fulham fans become sick of this thing once the initial media spotlight has faded? And will more kids now flock to matches at Craven Cottage? (Joking).
