Premier League chief executive Richard Masters insists he cannot comment on whether the Premier League are set to re-investigate the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United. The £300m purchase by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been thrown back into the spotlight due to a messy court case between Saudi-backed golf organisation LIV Golf and the PGA Tour in recent weeks.
Chronicle Live understands Newcastle United are confident no fresh action will be taken against them because the Premier League already have "legally binding assurances" surrounding separation between the Saudi state and the Public Investment Fund - a major sticking point before the takeover was eventually given the green light almost two years ago.
However, the issue has reared its head once more after PIF challenged a court order that would have seen the wealth fund's governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan testify in the golf case. PIF argued Al-Rumayyan is 'a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a sitting minister of the Saudi government.'
Amnesty International were quick to call on top flight chiefs to 're-examine' the 2021 takeover after the court documents came to light. However, Masters has remained tight-lipped on the matter.
The Premier League chief was in Westminster for a DCMS evidence session on Tuesday following the fan-led review of football governance. MP for Eltham, Clive Efford, highlighted the LIV Golf dispute before asking Masters: "Is this going to prompt you to revisit the Newcastle United Football Club arrangement?"
Masters then responded: "I'm afraid I can't really comment on it. Even to the point of saying 'is the Premier League investigating it?', we can't really comment.
"Obviously we are completely aware and you're correct about the general nature of the undertakings we received at the point of takeover. But I can't really go into it at all.
"The only time the Premier League comments publicly on regulatory issues is when it is charged. At the end of the process when an independent panel has decided whether rule breaching has taken place. The investigatory process we don't talk about at all."
Masters has previously spoken at length about the Newcastle takeover and what may happen should a PIF and KSA overlap be proven. “In that instance, I don’t think we would know. I don’t think it is going to happen,” Masters said back in 2021, when quizzed on the matter. “There are legally binding assurances that essentially the state will not be in charge of the club.
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