A West London football club. It’s egotistical, affluent chairman. His connections to celebrities. No, I’m not talking about Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, but Fulham FC and Mohamed Al Fayed. The extrovert chairman recently did something dangerous and unveiled a statue of the late Michael Jackson outside the stadium of Fulham Football Club. Mr Al Fayed is the former owner of the world-renowned Harrods store, and was a close friend of the flamboyant Michael Jackson. The statue was originally going to be put outside the store until he sold it and changed the venue to outside the stadium. This has caused controversy for 2 reasons: firstly, should there be a place for pop stars next to legendary football players outside a football stadium? Secondly, the statue itself looks quite grotesque. However, although it’s not quite like the man in the mirror, it does have a plastic look that makes it at least partly realistic! The eccentric chairman has also stated that the disgruntled fans can beat it and “go to hell…or go to Chelsea”. The faithful supporters have replied that “they don’t care about us”, referring to Mr Al Fayed and his people. Rio Ferdinand, an outspoken player for Manchester United, has also joined the argument, saying the statue should be in Mr Fayed’s home if they were such good friends. As for the actual team who play in black and white, they didn’t exactly jam. However, their last game was a thriller and they won 3-0. In my humble opinion, as much as I like Michael Jackson’s music, I do feel that the honest football fans should not be forced to see a statue of somebody whose only connection to the club was a friendship with its stubborn chairman. He needs to remember the time when football was just about football. Fulham is also a family club and although it’s never been proven that Michael Jackson was a smooth criminal, it has never been disproven either. If the arrogant Mr Al Fayed just can’t stop loving him, and really wanted the statue, he should have consulted the loyal fans or done a survey on their opinion. To be truthful, the way it was done makes me feel is slightly uncomfortable. So the statue didn’t exactly heal the world – the football world – but rather divided it. If you are ever around West London, do have a look for yourself and see what you think. Even in death, the charismatic Michael Jackson still knows how to be bad.
Adjectives to describe people
- Egotistical
- having a high opinion of their own importance
- Affluent
- to be rich; wealthy
- Extrovert
- at ease in talking to others
- World-renowned
- known all over the world
- Flamboyant
- to be loud and colourful
- Legendary
- extremely well-known and famous
- Grotesque
- bizarre or extremely ugly in appearance
- Eccentric
- to be strange
- Disgruntled
- to be unhappy about something
- Faithful
- obeying strongly to an idea or person
- Outspoken
- to be able to speak without fear
- Humble
- to be modest, not arrogant
- Honest
- to be true
- Stubborn
- to be difficult in changing one’s mind
- Arrogant
- to think one is the best at everything
- Loyal
- synonym of faithful
- Charismatic
- to have a lot of charm
