Newcastle's owners are under scrutiny following a court case – here's why the Premier League could remove them
Newcastle United's ownership could be re-examined by the Premier League, with a parliament committee putting Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) under fresh government scrutiny.
In October 2021, the PIF assumed full control of the Magpies, transforming the club's fortunes on the pitch and giving hope and optimism to the Toon. The takeover was subject to "legally binding assurances" from the new owners to the Prem that the Saudi government would not be controlling the Tyneside giants – but this has recently been called into question.
In a US court case last month, lawyers representing LIV Golf – also owned by the PIF – described Newcastle United chairman and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan as "a sitting minister of the government" with "sovereign immunity".
Chairman of Newcastle United, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, may be investigated by the Premier League (Image credit: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
So what does all this mean? Well, as Adam Clery mentions in the video above, the Premier League has the power to remove the PIF from Newcastle.
That's right – just as Roman Abramovich was forced into selling up at Chelsea over government sanctions, Richard Masters, the current Chief Executive of the Premier League, has previously stated, "We can remove the consortium as owners of the club", if there is evidence of state involvement in the running of Newcastle.
And Masters refused to comment recently about an investigation.
Richard Masters is staying tight-lipped about whether the Premier League are looking into Newcastle's owners (Image credit: PA Images)
When asked about the statements by Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee member Clive Efford MP, Masters claimed he couldn't "really comment on it", even to the point of being unable to state if the Premier League were investigating the matter.
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"The time when the Premier League comments publicly on regulatory issues is when it's charged," he said. "And at the end of the process when an independent panel has decided whether any rule breaches have actually taken place. The investigatory process, we don't talk about at all."
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
