The Saudi event management company reported to be in talks with Newcastle United over becoming its next shirt sponsor in a deal worth £25m a year is owned by the state's Public Investment Fund, the club's majority shareholder, according to its own website.
And that is set to put the Premier League rules around clubs gaining an advantage around commercial deals with related parties under severe scrutiny. League regulations state that sponsorship agreements must be agreed at “fair market value” and will be subjected to an independent assessment but should a deal be struck governance questions will arise over what consitutes a related party when both are owned by the same parent company.
As first reported by Sky News, the St James’ Park club are in talks with Sela over the firm becoming its primary sponsor ahead of next season’s return to the Champions League.
