Published 06:38 IST, April 23rd 2020
'Newcastle United takeover under due process as per law': PL CEO Richard Masters
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters, in a letter to Amnesty International, has stated that the bid to takeover Newcastle United is under due process.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters, in a letter to Amnesty International, has stated that the bid to takeover Newcastle United is under due process. Earlier this week, Amnesty International had raised concerns regarding the reported deal.
PL in tug-of-war
Masters, in his letter wrote, "Uou will appreciate that these matters are often subject to media speculation ut at their heart are due processes, required by UK law and by the Premier League's own rules, which cannot be conducted in public and on which we cannot comment. However, I can assure you that these processes go beyond those required by UK Company Law and they are applied with equal rigour to every single prospective purchase of a Premier League club."
The Magpies are on the verge of being sold to a Saudi-backed consortium that involves Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for around 300 million euros ($368 million). It was reported on Tuesday that a non-refundable deposit of 17 euros million has already been paid to current owner Mike Ashley as part of the deal.
Amnesty, a global non-governmental organisation that seeks to prevent abuses of human rights, said that unless the league provides thorough justification for its decision to approve the takeover, it risks damaging its own reputation. "So long as these questions (concerning Saudi Arabia's human rights record) remain unaddressed, the Premier League is putting itself at risk of becoming a patsy of those who want to use the glamour and prestige of Premier League football to cover up actions that are deeply immoral," the organisation's UK head Kate Allen wrote in the letter to PL.
Earlier, one of Premier League's leading overseas broadcasters, BeIN Sports, penned a letter to 20 English clubs warning against the threat of the potential £300 million Newcastle takeover deal.
BeIN Sports, which is owned by Qatari Businessman and PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has warned Premier League clubs against a potential Newcastle takeover by Mohammed bin Salman. The CEO of beIN Media Group Yousef Al-Obaidly wrote to Premier League clubs in a letter stating: “As a longstanding partner and huge investor in the Premier League, we urge you to carefully consider all the implications of [agreeing to the sale].”
(Image credits: premierleague.com)
Updated 06:38 IST, April 23rd 2020