Newcastle United: Premier League 'must re-examine' takeover after chairman described as Saudi minister

1 year ago 59

Newcastle president Yasir Al-Rumayyan and co-owner Amanda Staveley astatine the Carabao Cup final

The Premier League "needs to re-examine the assurances" it was fixed astir imaginable Saudi authorities power of Newcastle United, says quality rights radical Amnesty International.

Newcastle's takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was approved aft "legally binding assurances" the Saudi authorities would not person immoderate power implicit the club.

However, successful a US tribunal lawsuit Newcastle president Yasir Al-Rumayyan has been described arsenic "a sitting curate of the government" with "sovereign immunity".

The statements person been made by lawyers representing LIV Golf, owned by the PIF, which besides has a controlling involvement successful Newcastle.

"It was ever stretching credulity to breaking constituent to ideate that the Saudi authorities wasn't directing the buyout of Newcastle with the eventual purpose of utilizing the nine arsenic a constituent successful its wider sportswashing efforts," said Peter Frankental, Amnesty International's UK economical affairs director.

"There's an unmistakable irony successful the sovereign wealthiness money declaration emerging successful a quality astir different limb of Saudi Arabia's increasing sports empire, but the elemental information is that Saudi sportswashing is affecting galore sports and governing bodies request to respond to it acold much effectively.

"The Premier League volition surely request to re-examine the assurances made astir the non-involvement of the Saudi authorities successful the Newcastle deal, not slightest arsenic there's inactive a Qatari bid for Manchester United presently connected the table."

The Premier League has declined to comment.

A San Francisco tribunal has approved the PGA Tour's petition to see Al-Rumayyan and the PIF arsenic defendants successful its suit against LIV and ordered them to nutrient documents successful the case.

However, the PIF is challenging the order, arguing the money and its politician Al-Rumayyan "are not mean 3rd parties taxable to basal find relevance standards".

"The bid is an bonzer infringement connected the sovereignty of a overseas authorities that is acold from justified here," a tribunal papers reads.

"They are a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a sitting curate of the Saudi government, and they cannot beryllium compelled to supply grounds and documents successful a US proceeding unless their behaviour - not LIV's oregon anyone else's - is genuinely the 'gravamen' of the case."

Why was the PIF's takeover approved?

The PIF initially withdrew from its takeover bid for Newcastle successful July 2020 arsenic a effect of an "unforeseeably prolonged process", earlier the woody was revived.

The takeover was lone approved successful October 2021 aft the Premier League received "legally binding assurances" that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would not person immoderate power implicit the club.

The quality had centred implicit who would person controlling power of Newcastle, and would truthful beryllium taxable to the league's owners' and directors' test.

Premier League main enforcement Richard Masters told the BBC successful November 2021 that if his organisation recovered grounds determination was authorities engagement successful the moving of Newcastle "we tin region the consortium arsenic owners of the club".

The PIF has declined to remark portion Newcastle person been contacted.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters talks to BBC sports exertion Dan Roan astir the Newcastle United takeover

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