The takeover of Newcastle United is facing more scrutiny after a contentious US lawsuit involving the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The case is centred around the PGA attempting to ban any defecting golf players from their events, with LIV challenging the ruling.
In an unexpected twist Newcastle's acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been thrust back under the spotlight during the court proceedings. A San Francisco court has approved the PGA Tour's request to include PIF chair and Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in its lawsuit and ordered them to produce documents in the case.
However, PIF are challenging that order, arguing both the wealth fund and its governor Al-Rumayyan "are not ordinary third parties subject to basic discovery relevance standards".
FULL STORY: Newcastle United backlash from Premier League unlikely after calls to "re-examine" takeover
"The order is an extraordinary infringement on the sovereignty of a foreign state that is far from justified here," a court document reads from LIV lawyers. Addressing Yasir Al-Rumayyan specifically, the document adds; "They are a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a sitting minister of the Saudi government, and they cannot be compelled to provide testimony and documents in a US proceeding unless their conduct - not LIV's or anyone else's - is truly the 'gravamen' of the case."
Newcastle's takeover was approved by the Premier League after they received "legally binding assurances" the Saudi government would not have any control over the club. PIF have always insisted, when it comes to buying Newcastle, that they are a separate entity to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in November 2021 if his organisation found evidence there was state involvement in the running of the club the consortium could be removed as owners. The Premier League have declined to comment on the matter on Thursday.
Amnesty International have now asked the Premier League to re-examine assurances made by PIF before the 2021 takeover. "It was always stretching credulity to breaking point to imagine that the Saudi state wasn't directing the buyout of Newcastle with the ultimate aim of using the club as a component in its wider sportswashing efforts," Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK's economic affairs director, said.
"There's an unmistakable irony in the sovereign wealth fund declaration emerging in a dispute about another arm of Saudi Arabia's growing sports empire, but the simple fact is that Saudi sportswashing is affecting numerous sports and governing bodies need to respond to it far more effectively.
"The Premier League will surely need to re-examine the assurances made about the non-involvement of the Saudi authorities in the Newcastle deal, not least as there's still a Qatari bid for Manchester United currently on the table."
