Premier League satisfied Saudi state will not interfere at Newcastle – Masters

Masters
has
reiterated
that
the
league
has
received
legally
binding
assurances
that
the
Saudi
state
will
not
be
in
control
of
the
Magpies
but
added
that,
should
any
evidence
to
the
contrary
come
to
light,
the
consortium
can
be
removed
as
owners
of
the
club.

The
takeover
was
confirmed
in
October
and
saw
Saudi
Arabia’s
Public
Investment
Fund
(PIF)
take
an
80
per
cent
stake
in
Newcastle,
ending
Mike
Ashley’s
14-year
ownership.
Amanda
Staveley’s
PCP
Capital
Partners
and
the
Reuben
brothers’ RB
Sports
&
Media
each
took
on
10
per
cent.

Newcastle
owners
considered
Inter
and
Milan
before
£305m
takeover

A
Newcastle
United
statement
at
the
time
of
the
takeover
confirmed
that
Yasir
Al-Rumayyan,
the
governor
of
the
PIF,
will
serve
as
the
club’s
non-executive
chairman,
with
Staveley
holding
a
seat
on
the
board
and
Jamie
Reuben
having
a
role
as
director.

Speaking
to
BBC
Sport,
Masters
said:
“There
are
legally
binding
assurances
that
essentially
the
state
will
not
be
in
control
of
the
club.
If
we
find
evidence
to
the
contrary,
we
can
remove
the
consortium
as
owners
of
the
club,
in
accordance
with
the
rules,
so
that
is
understood.

“We
have
been
given
assurances,
and
there
are
ways
of
ensuring
that
we
are
comfortable
and
satisfied
that
that
remains
the
case.

“The
takeover
has
gone
through
and
we
are
comfortable
that
all
the
things
that
we
do
at
the
Premier
League
will
be
preserved
under
the
new
ownership.
All
of
the
things
that
we
do
and
the
club
does
under
our
equality
and
diversity
scheme
will
be
preserved.

“You
can’t
have
one
rule
for
one
and
one
rule
for
another
and
so
Newcastle
will
continue
to
be
run
on
the
right
basis.

“PIF
are
an
investor
in
many
other
companies
in
this
country
and
maybe
football
is
being
targeted
and
talked
about
in
a
different
way.
I
can’t
choose
who
is
chairing
a
football
club.
The
owners
test
doesn’t
let
us
take
a
view
on
that.”