by Ifreke Inyang

A six foot statue of Michael Jackson now stands outside a football stadium in London. It was unveiled last weekend, just before the team’s home game against Blackpool. Chairman of the club, Mohamed Al Fayed, unveiled this commemorative statue at Craven Cottage at 12pm on April 3rd, 2011 to honour the friendship he shared with the legendary singer.

Following Jackson’s death in June 2009, Fulham’s chairman commissioned a statue in his memory, which was originally planned to be erected outside his Harrods store. However, after the sale of the shop in Knightsbridge, it was decided that Craven Cottage was the best alternative for the tribute.

The statue, depicting the singer in one of his most iconic poses, is situated on the banks of the river Thames, adjacent to the Riverside and Hammersmith Stands at the stadium. “Michael Jackson was truly a legend, a term used too often in this modern world saturated in the hyperbole surrounding celebrity,” said Fayed.

Surprisingly, Fulham fans do not seem to like the idea, and some immediately took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over Fulham’s latest addition.

“The Michael Jackson Fulham Statue has to be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen,” said Joe Roberts, and Steven Ward added: “That Michael Jackson statue at Fulham looks cheap! I’m a huge MJ fan but it looks tacky.”

Al Fayed however, was quick to defend the statue telling fans they can “go to hell” if they didn’t like it.

See for yourself below!

Photo credit: Getty Images