Newcastle United

[Zenith]

The Athletic

Angry Premier League clubs demand emergency meeting on Newcastle deal

Angry clubs have targeted the Premier League with complaints about the Newcastle United takeover and are pushing for an emergency meeting next week.

The 19 other top-flight clubs are understood to be united in opposition to a Saudi-led consortium being allowed to buy out Mike Ashley and are demanding to know what changed for it to be waved through and why they received so little notice.

The demand for the emergency meeting is not so much an attempt to derail the takeover – because it is too late – rather a reflection of how high feelings are running.

Clubs have expressed concern that the Premier League’s brand could be damaged by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) taking an 80% stake in Newcastle, although eyebrows will be raised at this given the identity of other owners in the division. The deal has been fiercely criticised by human rights groups, especially as PIF – the state’s sovereign wealth fund – is overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The arrival of a new set of billionaire owners is bound to have upset clubs who see on the horizon a far more competitive Newcastle and the prospect of St James’ Park wealth inflating transfer fees and wages.

The league’s chief executive, Richard Masters, and chairman, Gary Hoffman, have received complaints from clubs who had no idea the Newcastle takeover was about to be approved. It was first proposed in March 2020 but the consortium withdrew its bid four months later amid growing fears it would fail the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test.

The subject was not on the agenda at the most recent shareholders’ meeting two weeks ago. The league effectively blocked the deal last year and it was said last week at a competition appeals tribunal (CAT) involving Ashley and the league that arbitration proceedings to decide the matter were scheduled to begin on 3 January.

It is understood clubs learned via the media on Wednesday of the impending takeover and received confirmation from the league by email at 5.18pm on Thursday. That is the time at which the 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”.

The league would no doubt point out that issues of confidentiality and legality prevented the sharing of Newcastle developments. Furthermore, the league board’s nominated powers over the owners’ and directors’ test were endorsed after a vote among the clubs.

The league’s QC, Adam Lewis, had said at the CAT that the deal could go ahead – albeit there was no suggestion it would happen so swiftly. “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,” Lewis said.

Since then Saudi Arabia has lifted its ban on the Qatar-based beIN Sports and promised to close pirate websites showing Premier League football in the country. Crucially, it also convinced the league the state would not be involved in the day-to-day running of Newcastle. There is considerable unease among clubs as to whether this will prove to be the case.

The Newcastle takeover has drawn reaction from the political arena, too. Labour, while arguing that the deal will “trouble many fans”, has not called for it to be paused, and is instead demanding a new system of regulation as soon as possible, most likely based on the ongoing review into football governance led by the Tory MP and former sports minister Tracey Crouch.

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 Crouch review cannot come soon enough.”

Downing Street and 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, and that since the UK trades with Saudi Arabia it would be anomalous to ban the takeover of a football club.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... astle-deal

[Nuggets]

They can shout as much as they like its a done deal now, money talks everything else is out of the window.

[Royal Gooner]

This is clearly a move they will claim is for "human rights" and moral reasons. But we all know what this is. The big clubs stopping the nouveau riche coming in to challenge for their spots at the top table and the smaller clubs banding together to stop another giant fed by vast sums of money emerging.

[Ach]

If city and Chelsea are complaining, biggest hypocrites ever

[jayramfootball]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

[Royal Gooner]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

Just wait until the Sheikh comes to his first game:

"Ha'way Sheikhy pet. 'Ave a Newcastle Brown Ale to celebrate you bringing the Toon out of the Doom!"

[Ach]

The new force in football

Went the if you can't beat them, join them route. Good luck to them. It's the football world these days

Whilst we are stuck in a rut

[EliteKiller]

EPL clubs just making sure that everyone has eyes on the FFP rules ... can't blame them (and us) for doing that. It will probably delay Newcastle's rise by a few years, but like with City in the end limitless money will win out

[DiamondGooner]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

Yes I'm sure the fans will be crying into their eventual CL trophy in years to come.

I mean, they miss Ashley so much.

Meanwhile we'll keep waiting on our "building for the future" plan to kick in.

[jayramfootball]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

Yes I'm sure the fans will be crying into their eventual CL trophy in years to come.

I mean, they miss Ashley so much.

Meanwhile we'll keep waiting on our "building for the future" plan to kick in.

I don't disagree - most of the fans won't give a second thought to the people being murdered by their owner on a daily basis.
They will put it to one side.
Doesn't change who their owner is, though and I, for one, would not want this guy in charge of Arsenal.
I am happy with our plan regardless of who else in the league decides to take the criminal route to success.

[DiamondGooner]

They can shout as much as they like its a done deal now, money talks everything else is out of the window.

Also .......... how is it fair that its been allowed for Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and City? even Leicester.

All have foreign owners who are billionaires.

This just smacks of racism and people simply moaning because they don't want the competition or the landscape to change.

I mean I don't remember the league moaning when white American owners buy clubs, even ones as shite as the Kroenkes.

[jayramfootball]

They can shout as much as they like its a done deal now, money talks everything else is out of the window.

Also .......... how is it fair that its been allowed for Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and City? even Leicester.

All have foreign owners who are billionaires.

This just smacks of racism and people simply moaning because they don't want the competition or the landscape to change.

I mean I don't remember the league moaning when white American owners buy clubs, even ones as shite as the Kroenkes.

Wait? What?
Racism?

Do you know who Newcastle's new owner is???????????
We've had some undesirable owners in the PL, but I think this will be the first mass murderer.
It's like sanctioning Kim Jung Un as an owner.
Back in the 40's it would be like sanctioning Hitler as an owner.

I mean seriously, fans will be cheering new players as they sign with their photo ops in the media and at the very same time someone will be being murdered by their owner.

[DiamondGooner]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

Yes I'm sure the fans will be crying into their eventual CL trophy in years to come.

I mean, they miss Ashley so much.

Meanwhile we'll keep waiting on our "building for the future" plan to kick in.

I don't disagree - most of the fans won't give a second thought to the people being murdered by their owner on a daily basis.
They will put it to one side.
Doesn't change who their owner is, though and I, for one, would not want this guy in charge of Arsenal.
I am happy with our plan regardless of who else in the league decides to take the criminal route to success.

Fallen for the marketing have we?

Lets add it up, did the Saudi Gov't sanction a hit on a journo? yes, looks likely, at least someone in their Gov't did regardless of who.

So that's wrong right?

Well compare that then to the hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians murdered by Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan or the Americans in Syria etc.

The Saudi's murdered one man on foreign soil, while the Americans have murdered 100's of thousands "spreading democracy".

Seems like you've drunk the media Kool-aid?

[DiamondGooner]

They can shout as much as they like its a done deal now, money talks everything else is out of the window.

Also .......... how is it fair that its been allowed for Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and City? even Leicester.

All have foreign owners who are billionaires.

This just smacks of racism and people simply moaning because they don't want the competition or the landscape to change.

I mean I don't remember the league moaning when white American owners buy clubs, even ones as shite as the Kroenkes.

Wait? What?
Racism?

Do you know who Newcastle's new owner is???????????
We've had some undesirable owners in the PL, but I think this will be the first mass murderer.
It's like sanctioning Kim Jung Un as an owner.
Back in the 40's it would be like sanctioning Hitler as an owner.

I mean seriously, fans will be cheering new players as they sign with their photo ops in the media and at the very same time someone will be being murdered by their owner.

Dumbest thing I've ever heard.

.............. who have they mass murdered exactly?

[jayramfootball]

It's Newcastle I feel sorry for - the whole city really.
The club is so much part of the city and now it's just a PR outlet for one of the worlds biggest tyrants.

Certainly don't think City or Chelsea can complain. Especially Chelsea considering their owner. Obviously, he is not as bad as the Saudi Prince, but he's bad enough.

Yes I'm sure the fans will be crying into their eventual CL trophy in years to come.

I mean, they miss Ashley so much.

Meanwhile we'll keep waiting on our "building for the future" plan to kick in.

I don't disagree - most of the fans won't give a second thought to the people being murdered by their owner on a daily basis.
They will put it to one side.
Doesn't change who their owner is, though and I, for one, would not want this guy in charge of Arsenal.
I am happy with our plan regardless of who else in the league decides to take the criminal route to success.

Fallen for the marketing have we?

Lets add it up, did the Saudi Gov't sanction a hit on a journo? yes, looks likely, at least someone in their Gov't did regardless of who.

So that's wrong right?

Well compare that then to the hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians murdered by Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan or the Americans in Syria etc.

The Saudi's murdered one man on foreign soil, while the Americans have murdered 100's of thousands "spreading democracy".

Seems like you've drunk the media Kool-aid?

You are missing the point.

Being American as an owner does not mean that owner represents the US Govt, no more than you are responsible for the actions of the UK govt.

The Saudi Regime now owns Newcastle.
Their owner is DIRECTLY responsible for truly disgusting atrocities - not just the murder of a journailst (by cutting him into pieces and wheeling him out of their Consulate in a suitcase), but many atrocities against humanity on a daily basis.
The fact that he is a Saudi is not the issue.