Fulham owner unveils Michael Jackson statue, gives fans ultimatum

When Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed first announced that he was going to have a statue built to honor his friend Michael Jackson and placed outside Craven Cottage, many people thought it was a joke while others wondered what business a statue of the dead singer had at a Premier League stadium.

Well, the former Harrods proprietor followed through on his promise and on Sunday, before Fulham's match against Blackpool, he unveiled the statue to excited fans of the singer and confused fans of Fulham. And if any of those fans of the club don't like it, he doesn't really care.

From the AP:

"Why is it bizarre?" he said. "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 Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else."

How sweet. Any Fulham fan upset that a statue was built to honor a man who attended one match with Al Fayed in 1999 instead of a legendary player or anyone with any actual association with football might want to reconsider their anger, though. After the statue was unveiled, Fulham went on to beat Blackpool 3-0. So, clearly, the odd presence of the King of Pop isn't hurting their results.

A close-up of the awkwardly posed statue right this way...

Photos: Getty Images