[Sport] Newcastle takeover: Pressure mounts on Premier League to rethink proposed buyout

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Newcastle takeover: Pressure mounts on Premier League to rethink proposed buyout

The fallout from the withdrawal of the Saudi Arabian bid to buy Newcastle United is continuing with north-east politicians demanding transparency from the Premier League and a leading barrister and Amnesty International calling for a revamp of football’s owners and directors test.

Simon Pentol, a QC with significant experience in the sport, called for an independent panel to be set up to assess the suitability of potential takeovers as well as overseeing a rationalisation of the game’s approach to changes of ownership. At the moment the Premier League, Football League and the FA each apply slightly different fit and proper tests.

Amnesty also questioned the Premier League’s methods and the charity has sent a proposed human rights regulation to Richard Masters, claiming that the Saudi offer for St James’ Park was an attempt at sportswashing. The organisation has asked the chief executive of the Premier League to give “careful consideration” to changing the criteria for owning clubs.

The furore in the north east continues unabated. Liz Twist, the Labour MP for Blaydon, took to social media on Wednesday to declare that she is working with Chi Onwurah, her Parliamentary counterpart for Newcastle Central, “to put pressure on those responsible for the deal’s collapse.” Twist tweeted that she had written to the Premier League and the MP expressed frustration at the club’s predicament. “Things have got to change; our people deserve it,” she wrote.

The reluctance of the ruling body to make a decision on whether the Amanda Staveley-led consortium was an appropriate owner of Newcastle caused the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Reuben brothers and Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners firm to take their £300 million offer off the table last week. The move sparked rage on Tyneside and the chief executive of the city council has also written to Masters offering to set up a meeting with the aim of resurrecting the buyout. Pat Ritchie said Saudi investment in the club and the area would prove “transformational.”