The statue was commissioned after Jackson's death in June 2009. It was due to be erected at Harrods, before Fayed sold the Knightsbridge store. The decision to relocate it to Craven Cottage is likely to divide opinion. Jackson's links to Fulham are tenuous – he watched a game there, as a guest of Fayed, in 1999 – and the singer was dogged by controversy during his lifetime.
Hughes said: "In fairness to the chairman, he's fully supported this club for a long time now, put in something like £200m. And if he wants to make that gesture to somebody who he knew personally then who am I to pass comment on it?
"What has to be judged are the reasons behind it. And the reasons are he was a close personal friend of the chairman of Fulham Football Club, and he obviously wants to mark that and make people understand the respect and affection that he had for the guy."
Hughes, who said he was a fan of Jackson's music, acknowledged the move would be controversial. "The fact that it's at the football club will maybe cause a debate," he said. "But, really, we shouldn't question our chairman's motives."
Source: guardian.co.uk