The Premier League needed a 'strong centre applying a very sensible rule book' to take decisions like the Newcastle United takeover away from the clubs who opposed it.
That is the view of Richard Scudamore, the former chief executive of the Premier League, following the first anniversary of the £305m buy-out a year ago.
The takeover went through just days after a breakthrough in a piracy row between beIN Sports, the Premier League's broadcasters in the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia, which had effectively prevented the deal from previously being completed. The Premier League's official statement unsurprisingly made no reference to this resolution and instead stated the top-flight had received 'legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would not control the club'.
