2021 takeover of Newcastle United F.C.

Last updated
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia purchased an 80% stake in Newcastle United Public Investment Fund (Saudi Arabia) logo.svg
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia purchased an 80% stake in Newcastle United

The 2021 takeover of Newcastle United F.C. by a consortium of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), PCP Capital Partners, and the Reuben Brothers was a takeover proceeding that commenced in April 2020 and was successfully concluded in October 2021. [1] [2]

Contents

The takeover process gained notoriety for allegations of improper conduct against the Premier League through a purported deliberate misapplication of its Owners' and Directors' test to block the deal, following allegations of undue influence from the Qatari-owned beIN Sports (with whom Saudi Arabia have strained bilateral relations) and rival clubs to Newcastle United. [3] Wider debates ensued regarding fan privacy, [4] impact on the Premier League and UK-Saudi Arabia relations, and perceived sportswashing. [5] After interventions from then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, [6] and the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, [7] [8] the takeover process lasted for 18 months, and was completed in October 2021. [9] [1]

Supporters of the takeover argued opposition to the deal stemmed from racism against Saudi Arabia, [10] [ better source needed ] citing lack of uproar over other, similar takeovers, while most Newcastle United fans argued the takeover would enable greater investment in the Tyneside region, which has seen historic underdevelopment. [11] A UK nationwide survey found a majority of football fans did not consider the takeover to be a bad influence on football. [12] [ better source needed ] Others pointed to the potential of strengthening the diplomatic ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia, likely increased emphasis by Saudi Arabia on their grassroots football, and reduction in Islamophobia in the UK. [13]

April 2020 to July 2020: Initial Owners' and Directors' Test

On 14 April 2020, it emerged that a request to undertake the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test had been filed by a consortium consisting of PCP Capital Partners, Reuben Brothers and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), as the final stage of their £300m bid to purchase ownership of Newcastle United from Mike Ashley. [2] A final decision on the outcome of the test was to be delivered by the Premier League board, populated by Gary Hoffman (chairman), Richard Masters (chief executive) and Kevin Beeston (non-executive director). [14] [15]

The bid drew opposition from various third parties. One such party was Qatar's state-owned media group beIN, the rights holder for broadcasting Premier League matches in the MENA region, which is the league's highest value overseas contract and was due to be renewed in December 2020. [16] beIN had been caught up in a geopolitical dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia over Qatar's alleged sponsoring of terrorism, whereby beIN had been banned by the Saudi government from broadcasting in Saudi Arabia since mid-2017. [17] Furthermore, a WTO report released in 2020 had accused the Saudi Arabian government of not previously doing enough to prevent the illegal streaming of beIN Sport's broadcasts in Saudi Arabia through illegal service beoutQ; beoutQ was shut down in August 2019 but had caused significant financial damage to beIN. [4] [18]

Consequently, in April 2020 Yousef Al-Obaidly – CEO of beIN – wrote to the Premier League and all of its member clubs demanding that the prospective takeover of Newcastle United be blocked. [19] He also attached a letter from beIN Sport's legal adviser, Stephan Nathan QC, saying that the KSA government had supported beoutQ and that the government would become a shadow director of Newcastle if the takeover was approved. [20]

Richard Keys, lead presenter at beIN Sports, regularly spoke out against the prospective takeover Richard keys wiki.jpg
Richard Keys, lead presenter at beIN Sports, regularly spoke out against the prospective takeover

beIN also commenced an intense public lobbying campaign through the broadcasting of regular briefs against the takeover on their channels. One example of this was on beIN Sport's Keys and Gray show, where lead presenter Richard Keys said that his "very good friend" Gary Hoffman (chairman of the Premier League) had to "tread carefully" around the fact that "we at beIN Sports have spent the last two years fighting Saudi Arabia, who have been broadcasting our sports rights illegally (through) a company called beoutQ". [21] [22]

beIN's legal advice to the Premier League was contradicted by the Saudi Arabian government, who asserted that their outlawing of beoutQ alongside the SAIP's subsequent clampdown on piracy was proof that they were robustly tackling the piracy issue. They also advised that PIF was a separate legal entity to the government. [23] [7] In June 2020 however, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation wrote to various major sports bodies across world football to acknowledge that it had a "responsibility" to continue fighting broadcasting piracy. [24]

On 21 April 2020, Amnesty International voiced their opposition to the takeover attempt, saying that it was part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to "sportswash" their poor human rights record alongside their other recent significant investments in international sports. [5] In June 2020 however, The Guardian reported that the fact the UK government had recently advised human rights groups that "there are grounds for cautious optimism regarding social reform and modernisation in the (Saudi) kingdom" was positive news for the takeover. [25] Similarly, the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' test does not provide parameters for rejecting takeovers on moral grounds. [14]

In July 2020, it was retrospectively claimed by the buying consortium that future member clubs of the failed European Super League and Project Big Picture (where a handful of elite clubs attempted to gain increased control over matters including finances and the approval of takeovers) such as Liverpool and Tottenham, had strongly lobbied the Premier League to block the takeover. [26]

It was widely anticipated that it would take around four weeks for the Premier League to deliver a decision on the test, owing to the record of previous tests. [9] However, on 14 July 2020, a senior employee at Newcastle United told The Athletic that the ongoing delay to the Premier League's making a decision was causing uncertainty for the club and consequently substantial damage to Newcastle United's long-term planning. [27] When asked for an update at various intervals by members of the media and MPs, Richard Masters – Chief Executive of the Premier League – refused to give any comment or time-frame for the ongoing process. [7]

On 30 July 2020 the consortium pulled out of the buying process, citing the prolonged delay for a decision from the Premier League alongside the league's refusal to communicate a time-frame for it, as causing their acquisition of Newcastle United to become untenable, particularly given their contract of sale with seller Mike Ashley had lapsed. [28] [29] The buyers also claimed that the geopolitical interference from Qatar, as well as from influential Premier League clubs, had caused the Premier League to purposely avoid either approving the deal or issuing an improper rejection that could be appealed. [29] [26]

97% of NUST members supported the takeover, due to the prospective investment in their club and wider region NUFC Trust Mono Logo.png
97% of NUST members supported the takeover, due to the prospective investment in their club and wider region

After the buyers pulled out, Newcastle United fans reacted with outrage, with 97% of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) having been in favor of the takeover owing to the consortium's plans to invest heavily in to the club and surrounding communities. [30] Newcastle United fans started a petition, calling for a government investigation into the Premier League's conduct due to the league's perceived lack of transparency and integrity; it gained more than 110,000 signatures. [31] In addition, over eighty MPs [32] and the Independent Football Ombudsman (IFO) [6] wrote to Richard Masters demanding transparency on the process of Newcastle United's subjection to the Owners' and Directors' test. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, further urged Masters and the Premier League that "there must be clarity on why there was a significant delay in a decision being made". [6]

On 14 August 2020, Richard Masters issued his first public statement on Newcastle United's taking of the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' test, stating in a reply to MP Chi Onwurah that the Premier League had deemed there to be insufficient legal separation between the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and the Saudi Arabian government, and so the government would become a shadow director if the takeover were approved. He also asserted that the consortium had declined the Premier League's offer of independent arbitration on the matter. Furthermore, Masters emphasised that the test was conducted objectively and independently by the Premier League board, and denied any claims of third-party influence over the process. [7] The consortium responded that arbitration would already be available to them after the Premier League had delivered its overall decision and that undergoing arbitration before the Premier League's overall decision was a highly irregular procedure. They also claimed that the Premier League's desire to undertake an arbitration process – which had taken over a year to complete in previous instances – for one individual aspect of the Owners' and Directors' Test was demonstrative of the Premier League's attempts to delay their delivery of a final decision. [32] [33]

On 9 September 2020, Newcastle United released a statement which apparently confirmed that the Premier League had finally officially rejected the buying consortium's proposed takeover of Newcastle United through the consortium's failing of the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test. Furthermore, the club's statement advised that "this conclusion has been reached despite the club providing the Premier League with overwhelming evidence and legal opinions that PIF is independent and autonomous of the Saudi Arabian government. The club and its owners do not accept that Premier League chief executive Richard Masters and the Premier League have acted appropriately in relation to this matter and will be considering all relevant options available to them." [34] [35] However, on 10 September 2020, the Premier League responded with a statement which defended the actions of Masters and the Premier League, and advised that "the club's assertion that the Premier League has rejected the takeover is incorrect". [36] According to various media reports, these statements were the result of shuttle diplomacy conducted by elements of the UK government between the buying consortium and Richard Masters, which continued informal communications even after the official withdrawal of the buying consortium's bid. During these informal communications, the offer of further concessions from the buying consortium had been rejected by Richard Masters and the Premier League. [31] [36]

Newcastle United subsequently launched two separate legal actions against the Premier League in an attempt to push through the takeover. Firstly, on 14 September 2020 Blackstone Chambers announced that they had appointed Nick De Marco QC and Shaheed Fatima QC to represent Newcastle United in the club's legal arbitration action against the Premier League's determination that the Saudi Arabian government and PIF were not separate entities. [37] The legal arbitration hearing was scheduled to take place in July 2021. [38] An additional claim was filed with the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on 22 April 2021, where St James Holdings – the holding company of Newcastle United – asserted that the Premier League had acted anti-competitively and "prevented, or hindered, the proposed takeover and knew that its actions would prevent and/or delay the proposed takeover". [39] The Competition Appeal Tribunal would later, on 27 July 2021, list the jurisdiction hearing for the case to take place on 29 September 2021, after the Premier League applied to have the case thrown out. [40]

On 1 July 2021, Newcastle United released a statement calling for the Premier League to agree to their request to conduct the forthcoming takeover arbitration hearing – scheduled for later in July and by default a private event – in public and "finally accept public scrutiny of its decision-making process". [41] On 4 July 2021, Mehrdad Ghodoussi of PCP Capital Partners accused the Premier League of "delay tactics" and "zero transparency", following multiple extensions of deadlines at the Premier League's request within both legal cases. [42] On 6 July 2021, Amanda Staveley spoke out to add further support to Newcastle United's request for the Premier League to agree to a public takeover arbitration hearing. She also wrote a letter to Oliver Dowden MP, the then UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, urging the government to intervene and enforce transparency:

Fans surely deserve absolute transparency from the regulators across all their processes – to best ensure that they act responsibly. They [the Premier League] are performing a function like that of a government regulator – but without the same systems for accountability. [43]

On 16 July 2021, around 300 Newcastle United fans travelled to London to protest outside Downing Street and the Premier League's headquarters to demand a public takeover arbitration hearing. [44]

Initially, the Premier League repeatedly declined to comment on these requests for transparency and similarly rejected the proposition of a public arbitration hearing. [41] [43] Later however, on 20 August 2021 Richard Masters advised that the Premier League's "arbitration proceedings are always confidential" and that "Newcastle United FC, along with all other member Clubs, agreed to these procedural rules for arbitration". [45]

On 19 July 2021, it was announced that the takeover arbitration hearing had been postponed to "early 2022". [46] In response, Mehrdad Ghodoussi accused the Premier League of further "playing games". [47] The new date was later defined by a QC representing the Premier League as being 3 January 2022 and that the hearing would last "little more than a week". [3]

On 22 July 2021, Tracey Crouch MP – chair of the fan-led review into the UK's football governance, which had taken extensive evidence from fans including meeting with the NUST – announced the review's interim findings. In them, it was asserted that football authorities had "lost the trust and confidence" of fans, and it was recommended that a new independent regulator be created to oversee matters such as club takeovers. [48] [49] [50] These findings were backed by Oliver Dowden MP (then Secretary of the DCMS), who added that "the Premier League had its fit and proper persons test (for the Newcastle United takeover) and they're going through that. I want them to get on with it. They need to do it quickly and transparently. They should have done it quicker." [51]

On 29 September 2021, the jurisdiction hearing for the CAT case took place. Attendees at the virtual hearing were Daniel Jowell QC representing St James Holdings, Nick De Marco QC representing Newcastle United, Adam Lewis QC representing the Premier League, as well as the three members of the tribunal panel led by Mr Justice Miles. The majority of the hearing was publicly livestreamed through the CAT's website, with approximately 33,000 people from over 50 countries watching the proceedings. [52] However, the Premier League insisted that certain segments of the hearing take place in private, as they said these segments contained information related to the concurrently running and confidential arbitration case. [3] Key arguments that were debated during the hearing included:

Daniel Jowell QC also alleged that the Premier League "abused its position" by blocking the takeover after it was "improperly influenced" by rival Premier League clubs and beIN Sports. [3] Furthermore, he said that the Premier League had threatened to expel Newcastle United from the league. [53] Mr Justice Miles concluded proceedings by advising all parties that a decision on whether the CAT case was to proceed would be reached and communicated to them after the tribunal panel "going away and considering with care" all of the evidence submitted. [3]

October 2021: completion of takeover

Image from Newcastle Fans TV, showing thousands of fans celebrating the completed takeover outside St James' Park on 7 October 2021 Newcastle United fans gather celebrating new ownership.jpg
Image from Newcastle Fans TV, showing thousands of fans celebrating the completed takeover outside St James' Park on 7 October 2021

On 6 October 2021, news emerged that Saudi Arabia had lifted their ban on the broadcasting of beIN Sports in their country. [55] This was said to have been a key issue behind the Premier League's blocking of the takeover and it was soon widely reported that a compromise had been reached between the Premier League, Newcastle United and the buying consortium for the takeover to go through. [56]

On 7 October 2021, the takeover of Newcastle United was officially confirmed, with the Public Investment Fund taking a majority 80% stake in the club, whilst PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers each took 10%. [1] In a statement, the Premier League said that they had "now received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club". [1] In a concurrent statement, Yasir Al-Rumayyan – the Governor of PIF and the new Non-Executive Director of Newcastle United – said:

We are extremely proud to become the new owners of Newcastle United, one of the most famous clubs in English football. We thank the Newcastle fans for their tremendously loyal support over the years and we are excited to work together with them. [1]

The takeover led to widespread speculation that manager Steve Bruce was expected to leave the club. [57] Staveley stated Bruce was to remain for the new owners first game against Tottenham Hotspur, his 1000th match as a football manager; [58] however, he left the club by mutual consent the following week. [59] [60]

Eddie Howe was appointed as the consortium's debut managerial signing on 8 November 2021. [61]

Lee Charnley, who acted as managing director under Ashley's ownership, left the club on 19 November 2021 following a six-week handover period. His departure was the final of Mike Ashley's hierarchy, with Staveley stating the club was undergoing a "formal process" to appoint a new figure to replace the role. [62]

Following the takeover of the club, the consortium would remove the Sports Direct sponsorship all over the stadium with Staveley claiming she was "looking forward" to remove the Sports Direct branding to get new sponsors with the sponsor being removed on 6 December, which led to former owner Mike Ashley taking legal action against Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi after Ashley alleged that both Staveley and Ghodoussi breached their agreement to continue to sponsor St James' Park until the end of the 2021–2022 Premier League season. [63] [64] [65] [66]

In February 2022, Dan Ashworth was appointed as the consortium's technical director of football. [67]

Reaction

Newcastle United's Premier League rivals reacted with fury to the takeover's successful conclusion. On 12 October 2021, an emergency meeting was convened by the other 19 Premier League clubs between themselves and the Premier League, where they voiced their anger at the league's decision to ratify the takeover; Newcastle United were the only Premier League club to be excluded from attending the meeting. On 18 November 2021, Premier League clubs voted to tighten the Premier League's financial controls in order to limit Newcastle United's spending power. [68] On 16 November 2021, Gary Hoffman resigned from his role as Premier League chairman with effect from the end of January 2022, after Newcastle's rivals held him responsible for the takeover's completion. [69]

On 23 October 2021, at Newcastle United's first away game since the takeover, at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace, a banner was displayed by Palace supporters targeting the takeover. It featured illustrations of a man dressed in traditional Arabian clothing, carrying a sword with dripping blood, next to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters. It also feature a checklist with alleged offences carried out by the Saudi Arabia regime. On a picture of a clipboard under the headline 'Premier League Owners Test' were listed the words 'Terrorism, beheading, civil rights abuses, murder, censorship and persecution'. [70] Police assessed the banner and decided that no criminal offence had occurred. [71]

On 17 November 2021, an online Fans Forum Survey conducted by "ChronicleLive and its sister websites" found that 84.4% of neutral football fans thought the completed takeover was good for the game, with 7.3% stating they thought it was bad whilst 8.3% said they were unsure. [12]

In May 2022, Amnesty International criticised the new away kit of Newcastle United F.C., stating that it amounted to sportswashing by the club's Saudi Arabian owners. The kit's colours, which were white with a green trim, strongly resembled the colours of Saudi's national football team. Although the Premier League guaranteed that Saudi Arabia would not control Newcastle, the leaked images of the club's new kit suggested otherwise. Amnesty UK's head of campaigns, Felix Jakens said it was a "clear evidence of the regime using Newcastle to portray a positive image". [72]

In March 2023 Amnesty further called for the United Kingdom to examine Newcastle's link to Saudi Arabia after a legal brief in a United States court case between the PGA Tour and the PIF funded LIV Golf tour that was issued by lawyers of the PIF and current Newcastle club chairman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan; stated that the PIF was a "sovereign instrumentality" of Saudi Arabia and that Rumayyan was a current Saudi Arabian government minister. [73] [74]

Aftermath

In April 2023, a report of UK government emails related to the takeover by The Athletic , stated that the United Kingdom government believed a potential failure of the takeover posed a risk to Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations and that a number of senior UK government officials actively promoted the takeover and had pressured the Premier League to allow it. The report also stated that the UK Department of International Trade had created a public relations offer to the Premier League in an apparent attempt to bolster the reputation of Saudi Arabia and that the PIF planned to make $30 billion of direct investment in the United Kingdom between 2018 and 2028, outside of the Newcastle takeover. [75] [76]

In April 2023 the Premier League changed its ownership rules to now disqualify potential owners and club directors who have been confirmed to have committed human rights abuses as defined by the United Kingdom's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations of 2020, and/or under sanctions by the United Kingdom government from the league's ownership and directors test. [77] [78]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier League</span> Association football league in England

The Premier League is the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL). Seasons usually run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches: two against each other, one home and one away. Most games are played on weekend afternoons, with occasional weekday evening fixtures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle United F.C.</span> Association football club in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Since the formation of the club in 1892, when Newcastle East End absorbed the assets of Newcastle West End to become Newcastle United, the club has played its home matches at St James' Park. Located in the centre of Newcastle, it currently has a capacity of 52,374.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James' Park</span> Football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,350 seats, it is the 8th largest football stadium in England.

beIN Sports MENA is a subsidiary of beIN Sports. It is based in Doha, Qatar, serving the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. They are owned by beIN Media Group, a former subsidiary of Al Jazeera Media Network; the sports channels were spun off from Al Jazeera Media Network in December 2013. Following the spin-off, the channels' parent company was incorporated in January 2014 as their holding company. The channels primarily broadcast in Arabic, but it also offers feeds in English, French and Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Newcastle United F.C.</span>

The history of Newcastle United Football Club, an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, covers the club's entire history from its formation to the present day. Formed by a merger between Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End to become 'United' in 1892, the club was elected to the Football League, which they entered in 1893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sami Al-Jaber</span> Saudi Arabian footballer (born 1972)

Sami Abdullah Al-Jaber is a Saudi Arabian football manager and former professional player who played as a striker. He spent the entirety of his career with Al-Hilal, apart from a five-month loan to English club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

David Reuben and Simon Reuben are British businessmen. In 2024, they were named the third-richest family in the UK by the Sunday Times Rich List, with a net worth of £24.9 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ashley (businessman)</span> British entrepreneur (born 1964)

Michael James Wallace Ashley is a British retail entrepreneur who is the founder and former chief executive of Frasers Group plc. He owned the Newcastle United football club between 2007 and 2021.

Leeds United Football Club Limited, founded 4 May 2007, is a limited company, the directors of which are Ken Bates, Shaun Harvey and Mark Taylor. The company purchased Leeds United A.F.C. via a creditors vote after the club entered administration, but this ownership was challenged by HM Revenue & Customs and the club was subsequently put up for sale by the administrators KPMG.

St James Holdings Limited was a company set up by tycoon Mike Ashley, specifically to acquire shares of Newcastle United Football Club during his 2007 takeover. The company name was a reference to St James' Park, the stadium of Newcastle United.

Amanda Louise Staveley is a British business executive. She is notable chiefly for her connections with Middle Eastern investors. She helped a Saudi consortium take over Newcastle United in a deal completed in October 2021 and has joined the board of directors.

beIN Sports is a Qatari multinational network of sports channels owned and operated by the Qatari media group beIN. The network has played a major role in the increased commercialization of Qatari sports. Its chairman is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and its CEO is Yousef Obaidly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud</span> Saudi royal and businessman

Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud is the son of Prince Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He was general president of Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority from 2014 to 2017.

beIN Media Group Independent global sport and entertainment network

beIN Media Group is a Qatari state-owned global sport and entertainment network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. beIN distributes entertainment, live sports action, and major international events across 5 continents, in 43 countries, and 7 languages spanning Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Investment Fund</span> Sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia

The Public Investment Fund is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of US$925 billion. It was created in 1971 for the purpose of investing funds on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia. The wealth fund is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler since 2015.

beoutQ Pirate pay television broadcaster serving Saudi Arabia

beoutQ was a pirate pay television broadcaster that operated in Saudi Arabia between August 2017 and August 2019. The service consisted of ten satellite television channels that carried rebranded feeds of programming from Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports. beoutQ began operations after Saudi Arabia blocked beIN Media Group from offering its services in the country; the action stemmed from a then-ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab countries over its alleged state sponsorship of terrorist groups. The service operated out of facilities in Saudi Arabia, and utilised the Arabsat satellites for transmission. The channels also carried propaganda accusing beIN Sports of being a monopoly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasir Al-Rumayyan</span> Saudi businessman (born 1970)

Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan is a Saudi businessman who is governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also serves as the chairman of English football club Newcastle United and the chairman of state-owned petroleum company Saudi Aramco.

Yousef Al-Obaidly is the CEO of sports, entertainment and media organisation beIN Media Group. Al-Obaidly also holds a number of board positions including at Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG), Paris Saint-Germain Handball, Qatar Sports Investments, Qatar Tennis Federation, Qatar Satellite Company Es'hailSat and Qatar based telecoms company Ooredoo.

Richard Masters is a British football executive. He is the current chief executive of the Premier League, the highest tier of association football in England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Newcastle takeover completed: Saudi-led consortium end Mike Ashley's 14-year ownership". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  2. 1 2 "Newcastle United takeover deal worth £300m close". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Premier League 'abused position' in Newcastle takeover, tribunal hears". BBC. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  4. 1 2 "Newcastle takeover could be complicated by WTO ruling on Saudi Arabia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  5. 1 2 "UK: Premier League must consider Saudi human rights situation in Newcastle United deal". Amnesty International UK. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  6. 1 2 3 "Newcastle: Boris Johnson backs calls for Premier League statement on failed takeover". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Newcastle takeover: Premier League CEO Richard Masters breaks silence over Saudi-led deal". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  8. ↑ "Saudi takeover of Newcastle United hinges on lifting blockade on Qatar". Middle East Monitor. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  9. 1 2 "Explained: What is football's fit and proper person test?". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  10. ↑ "Newcastle's Saudi takeover will cause faux morality of football to collapse | Barney Ronay". the Guardian. 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  11. ↑ "North East England can bounce back from Covid and Brexit". The Federal Trust. 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  12. 1 2 "Overwhelming majority of football fans believe Newcastle United's takeover was a good thing". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  13. ↑ "Saudi PIF-Newcastle takeover about more than soft power: Riyadh, Tyneside to benefit". Al Arabiya English. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  14. 1 2 "What is the Owners' and Directors' Test?". Premier League. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  15. ↑ "Premier League may expand board over diversity targets after announcing 'No Room For Racism' action plan". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  16. ↑ "Qatar's beIN sport renews English Premier League contract despite sole opposition". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  17. ↑ "Saudi Arabia permanently cancels license of Qatar's beIN Sports". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  18. ↑ "beoutQ: Notorious pirate is down, but its echo reverberates". Piracy Monitor. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  19. ↑ "Qatar's beIN demands Premier League blocks Saudi takeover of Newcastle". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  20. ↑ "Lawyer's report urges Premier League to block Newcastle takeover". The Times. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  21. 1 2 "'Tread carefully' – Richard Keys chips in on Newcastle United takeover debate once again". Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  22. ↑ "Richard Keys questions morality of proposed Newcastle United Saudi takeover". Mirror. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  23. ↑ "Newcastle takeover: Saudi Arabia announces crackdown on piracy". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  24. ↑ "Saudi Arabian Football Federation writes to major sports bodies after WTO report". BBC. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  25. ↑ "Premier League returns but at Newcastle everything has stopped". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  26. 1 2 "'The gloves were off' then the deal was off: Why Newcastle's takeover collapsed". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  27. ↑ "The limbo takeover: A boa constrictor around Newcastle's necks". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  28. ↑ "Newcastle takeover: Full statement from PIF, Amanda Staveley and Reuben Brothers as proposed bid fails" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  29. 1 2 "Amanda Staveley: The Premier League made it so hard. Impossible. It's ridiculous". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  30. 1 2 "Newcastle takeover: Supporters' Trust wants Premier League 'transparency' on deal collapse". BBC. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  31. 1 2 "Newcastle takeover: Approval was expected on Tuesday. Fury followed on Wednesday". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  32. 1 2 "Explained: the Premier League's letter about Newcastle's failed takeover". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  33. ↑ "Newcastle United takeover saga continues after Premier League letter that 'does not change anything'" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  34. ↑ "Club statement". Newcastle United. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  35. ↑ "Newcastle say Premier League did not 'act appropriately' in blocking takeover". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  36. 1 2 "Newcastle United's pointed statement came after fresh attempt to push through Saudi-led takeover". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  37. ↑ "Newcastle hire lawyers in dispute with Premier League over failed Saudi-led takeover". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  38. ↑ "'No doubt' – Sports lawyer drops 'fascinating' Newcastle takeover insight on arbitration". MSN. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  39. ↑ "Newcastle take Premier League to competition tribunal over takeover collapse". BT Sport. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  40. ↑ "St James Holdings Limited v The Football Association Premier League Limited". Competition Appeal Tribunal. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  41. 1 2 "Newcastle United: Club asks Premier League for arbitration claim against it to be heard in public". BBC. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  42. ↑ "Mehrdad Ghodoussi accuses Premier League of two things in strong Newcastle takeover tweet". MSN. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  43. 1 2 "Newcastle takeover: Amanda Staveley wants UK Government and Premier League to make arbitration transparent". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  44. ↑ "Newcastle fans 'kept in the dark' by Premier League amid ongoing takeover". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  45. ↑ "Premier League's Richard Masters makes Newcastle takeover admission after being pressed by MP". Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  46. ↑ "Newcastle United: Arbitration hearing with Premier League over takeover adjourned to 2022". BBC. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  47. ↑ "Mehrdad Ghodoussi drops 7-word claim on potential Newcastle takeover after news emerges". MSN. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  48. ↑ "'We took aim against the Premier League' – NUST press the case on takeover and 'rogue' Mike Ashley". Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  49. ↑ "Dangers to English football 'very real', says chair of fan-led review into game". BBC. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  50. ↑ "English football needs independent regulator, says chair of fan-led review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  51. ↑ "'Clubs are like art treasures – they must be protected'". The Times. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  52. ↑ "Newcastle's public interest argument boosted by Competition Appeal Tribunal post as 33,000 watched case". Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  53. ↑ "Saudi Arabia takeover of Newcastle United will be decided in January". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  54. ↑ "Newcastle United fans celebrate wildly outside St James's Park after Saudi-led takeover confirmed" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  55. ↑ "Saudi Arabia set to lift ban on Qatar's beIN Sports network". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  56. ↑ "Newcastle takeover: All parties hopeful Saudi-led consortium's deal can be announced on Thursday". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  57. ↑ "Newcastle takeover completed: Saudi-led consortium end Mike Ashley's 14-year ownership". Sky Sports. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  58. ↑ "Steve Bruce: Newcastle manager to remain in charge for Tottenham match" . The Independent. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  59. ↑ "Steve Bruce leaves Newcastle United 'by mutual consent'". Sky News. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  60. ↑ "Newcastle players 'want Steve Bruce sacked before Crystal Palace clash' after bust-up". Daily Express. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  61. ↑ "Eddie Howe: Newcastle appoint former Bournemouth manager as replacement for Steve Bruce". Sky Sports. 8 November 2021.
  62. ↑ "The end of the Lee Charnley era sends a strong message about Newcastle's bold new direction". Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  63. ↑ "Sports Direct sinage taken down at St James' Park". Sky Sports . 6 December 2021.
  64. ↑ Caulkin, George (6 December 2021). "Newcastle removing Sports Direct adverts at St. James' Park".
  65. ↑ Taylor, Louise (21 January 2022). "Mike Ashley takes legal action against Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley". The Guardian.
  66. ↑ "Mike Ashley: Former Newcastle owner suing Amanda Staveley for breaching terms of £10m loan". Sky Sports . 21 January 2022.
  67. ↑ "Newcastle to appoint ex-Brighton technical director as director of football".
  68. ↑ "Premier League clubs vote to block Newcastle sponsorship deals at emergency meeting". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  69. ↑ "'Time to stand aside': Gary Hoffman confirms exit as Premier League chair". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  70. ↑ "Police investigate anti-takeover banner" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  71. ↑ "No police action on Palace fans' banner" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  72. ↑ "Newcastle kit sharing Saudi colours would be sportswashing, Amnesty says". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  73. ↑ "Premier League told to re-examine Newcastle's links to Saudi Arabia by Amnesty International after US court filing". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  74. ↑ Woodyatt, Amy (2023-03-02). "Court filing casts doubt on 'assurances made' on Saudi state's involvement with Newcastle United". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  75. ↑ "UK government pushed for Saudi-Newcastle takeover, emails reveal". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  76. ↑ Crafton, Adam. "Newcastle's Saudi takeover: The UK government's emails revealed". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  77. ↑ "PL challenged by rights groups over owner rules". ESPN.com. 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  78. ↑ "Human rights abusers banned as PL tightens rules". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.