PL clubs demand emergency meeting over Newcastle takeover
The 19 other Premier League clubs are angry about the Newcastle takeover and are pushing for an emergency meeting next week.
The Guardian claim the clubs are united in opposition to the Saudi-led purchase of Newcastle and want to know what changed for the deal to be allowed to take place when it was blocked before.
The emergency meeting will have no bearing on the takeover, which has already been completed, but the clubs want to express concern over the impact of the deal on the Premier League’s brand.
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Human rights groups have strongly criticised the deal given the Public Investment Fund (PIF) – Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund – that’s behind the takeover is overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The sceptics may suggest that the concern is not over the human rights violations of the new ‘owners’ but the fact that Newcastle are now the richest club in the world – with the Crown Prince’s net worth said to be around £320bn – meaning they look set to be a far more competitive force in England’s top flight.
Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, and Gary Hoffman, the chairman, have reportedly received complaints from clubs who were unaware that the Newcastle takeover was about to be approved.
The league blocked the deal last year and said last week at a competition appeals tribunal (CAT) involving Mike Ashley that arbitration proceedings to decide the matter would take place in early January.
The clubs are said to have learned of the takeover on Thursday evening via email at the same time that the Premier League released a statement saying the deal was done and that it had “received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United”.
Adam Lewis, the Premier League’s barrister, said at the CAT: “If the arbitration decides KSA [the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] is not a director then the transaction can and will go ahead, with no question of the owners’ and directors’ test being applied to KSA.”
Saudi Arabia has since lifted its ban on beIN Sports and promised to shutdown pirate websites showing Premier League football in the country, as well as giving assurances that the state would not be involved in the day-to-day running of Newcastle.
Alison McGovern, the shadow sports minister, said: “This is ultimately a failure in the way that football is governed. Labour has called for a tough independent regulator for many years and the action we hope will come from the publication of the [Tracey] Crouch review cannot come soon enough.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have maintained a deliberately hands-off approach, with officials insisting that it is a matter for the Premier League.