Fulham this week announced huge financial losses for the 2009/10 season, despite a considerable increase in revenue as a result of their progress to the Europa League final last May.

But despite the losses, which totalled £16.9m, chairman Mohamed Fayed produced a typically unorthodox response, announcing plans for a statue of the late American pop music superstar Michael Jackson at the club’s Craven Cottage ground.

The West London club’s losses were £10m up on last year, despite an extra £12.5m in revenue. The increase was put down to higher wages and new contracts.

 

Fayed promised he would continue to make “funds available to achieve our goals both on and off the pitch.”

But having sold famous London department store Harrods last year, Fayed will be unable to borrow money from that business as he as done in previous years to fund Fulham.

However, he added: “The continued success of Fulham and its eventual financial self-sustainability is my priority.” And he claimed that the results showed that he “remains committed to making investment funds available.”

Fayed originally planned to have a statue of Jackson outside Harrods. But having sold that, Craven Cottage is the lucky recipient of the tribute to the ‘King of Pop’ who died last year.

Fayed said: “I hope that Fulham fans will appreciate seeing the finest performer in the world amongst them, the finest fans in the world.”

The Cottagers lie 11^th in the EPL and face a trip to ninth-placed Everton this coming Saturday evening.