A petition to launch to an independent review of the Newcastle takeover is gaining momentum, Mike Ashly issues a put up or shut up declaration to Clear TV CEO Henry Mauriss, and a source close to Mauriss responds to the publicity surrounding the mogul’s pursuit of Newcastle United.
Here is the roundup of today’s articles and news from The Newcastle United Blog.
- Here is a petition for an independent investigation into the Premier League’s handling of the Saudi takeover.
- Our readers have selected Martin Dubravka as the Player of the Season.
- Mike Ashley gives Henry Mauriss two weeks to reach an agreement on buying Newcastle.
- Newcastle must find some firepower upfront but bringing back two popular players should be a priority as well.
- Here’s everything we could find out about mystery man Henry Mauriss and his attempt to buy Newcastle.
- Amanda Staveley talks about the day she fell in love with Newcastle United.
- A source close to Henry Mauriss responds to reports of his interest in buying Newcastle.
- Allan Saint-Maximin and Jetro Willems react to the one year anniversary of them joining Newcastle.
Note – here’s a petition to sign to get an independent review of the EPL Takeover process – please sign it – thanks.
225 comments so far
lochinvar
Aug 2, 2020 at 10:57 PM
Comment #81The EPL have given social distancing a new meaning
onmeedsun
Aug 2, 2020 at 10:58 PM
Comment #82Frog
Of course we were there long before Chelsea, MCity and Spurs.
I know it was over 20 years ago but it’s true. This top 4 top 6 bs just pisses me off. I’m glad that Leicester and Wolves have crashed the cartel this year. It needs to happen every year.
ShirebrookToon
Aug 2, 2020 at 10:58 PM
Comment #83Loch
They’re self isolation protocol is a staggering 17 weeks
onmeedsun
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:08 PM
Comment #84What I’d like to know is would the PL have demanded that the State be a director if there was no piracy issue. They were desperate to make this link. And if it failed because the Saudis refused to satisfy the PLs stipulations on piracy then the bid deserved to fail. Piracy or no piracy, it all hinges on that.
Toonarmy of Frogs
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:14 PM
Comment #85https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-an-independent-investigation-into-the-epl-takeover-process?recruiter=78439105&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=f7a6b610-8468-11e3-9a71-dbb19d112eba&utm_content=fht-23803882-en-gb%3A0
Petition over 52k, about to top SJP capacity. Not bad going 😎
lochinvar
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:18 PM
Comment #86Wonder if the EPL and Masters would like to encourage any of the following States to own and run a Premier League club
China
Russia
Venezuela
North Korea
Libya
Iran
Iraq
Scotland
lochinvar
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:23 PM
Comment #87Mauriss is a Spurs fan
He might be estimated as being only the fifth richest potential owner of a Premier League Club
Doesn’t really fit the bill does it?
Nicky the ball tosser
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:25 PM
Comment #88We do know there was piracy emanating from the KSA. The question is whether the Saudi’s had done enough to stop it, and more importantly were playing ball with the EPL in regards to this issue during the ODT process. Banning Bein suggests they weren’t.
also the ODT has regulations against shadow directors.
I want the takeover, because of what it can do for the fortunes of the club and the region, but I also strongly believe that the Saudi’s want to use the club as a PR tool, and I’m not comfortable with that at all.
The whole deal is rife with self interest, from fans, seller and buyer, other clubs, Bein, Qatar, the EPL and so on.
A just outcome is in their somewhere.
Dig away, respectfully, but don’t do so thinking you’ll necessarily get the answers you want to hear.
The EPL have said nothing throughout this process, there’s little reason they’ll break their own rules and speak now.
TyneMouth
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:40 PM
Comment #8952,400+ petition subscribers…
More than the capacity of SJP, (That’s a relief)
Onward and upward, don’t be shy!
Thump
Aug 2, 2020 at 11:59 PM
Comment #90Sorry like, can’t celebrate the petition finally getting to capacity after all this time.
Honestly can’t even celebrate the petition. Change.org has done more for email marketing than it has for charitable causes ffs.
And yes, I’ve signed the bloody thing.
DanishMagpie
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:03 AM
Comment #91Good day, just looked at the official UK Government and Parliament homepage regarding petitions and it says the following:
“Petitions started on other websites:
The Committee will only consider, and the Government is only obliged to respond to, petitions which people have started on the UK Government and Parliament petitions website. The Committee will not consider petitions hosted on external websites.”
https://petition.parliament.uk/help
Should the petition not have been created on the official page?
TyneMouth
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:06 AM
Comment #92Jail for Ashley
A good friend of mine, a fellow Geordie and a long time reader of this Blog, sent me a message this evening.
My friend informed me that you had posted some useful advice for me recently, and wondered about my reaction.
My friend is in transit at present, in-flight to Tokyo, so I can’t contact him, and I’m not the sort of person who has the patience to trawl thro’ the Blog back catalog to try and retrieve your post, even if it’s as useful as my chum suggests.
Would you be so kind as to repost your kind advice, I’ll be most appreciative.
My best wishes… TM
Munster Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:06 AM
Comment #93Again I tend to agree with most of what Nicky says. The Béin ban looked all wrong. Saying the bid is still on the table is pointless if you walk off. The PL were left off the hook. So annoying.
Mund
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:09 AM
Comment #94No Munster the premier league made it impossible for the deal to go through not the other way round
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:20 AM
Comment #95Mund,
Why do you think the premier league made it impossible for the deal to go through?
I’m not trying to be controversial or argumentative or anything else, just trying to have a conversation without all of the emotion.
Online Guy
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:32 AM
Comment #96Jail for Ashley
I will deal with you later
A mere Bagatelle
Online Guy
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:33 AM
Comment #97Tsunki
Your little pop at me was not abusive so fair play to you.
Good Man.
Online Guy
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:36 AM
Comment #98Jail
Talking about weird ..any person that hates music is a bitter little pill.
Thats is weird.
Online Guy
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:44 AM
Comment #99Jail
I distinctly read words from you pertaining to Mund..Anglo..Neil ..
I would go back and dig up your words but I forget how.
Cant you look into your little black book ? or filing cabinet under ”M”
I recall you calling a writer here ” A Fcuking Freak ” remember that ?
Yes ?
At a time when we should all stick together Jail your throwing barbed abusive comment my way this evening .
Im going to do the right thing right now and say lets shake hands and forget the little spat here .
Ok with that ?
captainmarvel
Aug 3, 2020 at 12:56 AM
Comment #100It is £10 for life membership of NUST.
It may be £1 a year, but for a tenner and life membership for me it is well worth it..
captainmarvel
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:00 AM
Comment #101I do not think it matters if the petition is not on the official site its in the papers, it’s getting publicity, we need them on our side hit the bastards from as many sides as possible..
TyneMouth
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:02 AM
Comment #102The Petition is now over 53,000.
Tomorrow;
Vote early,
… and most important!
Vote often!
Cathedral on the hill
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:06 AM
Comment #103The full Frank kane article
Qatar, human rights lobby mesmerize English football in Newcastle saga.
“Never say never” was the key phrase from Michael Ashley, owner of Newcastle United football club.
He was reacting to a dramatic statement late on Thursday from the consortium — led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — that had agreed a £300 million ($394 million) deal with him in April to buy the 128-year-old club. The buyers had finally had enough, after months of delay by the English football authorities, and were pulling out of the bid.
That seemed to be that, but closer analysis of the eight-month saga suggests that far from being all over, it is just entering a new phase.
Ashley went on to insist that he remained “100 percent committed” to the deal. It was also pretty apparent from conversations with PIF officials and with Amanda Staveley, the entrepreneur who put the consortium together, that it is still much in play.
In reality, the consortium withdrawal statement changes little in the takeover equation. Ashley wants to sell. The consortium — which includes UK magnates the Reubens brothers, Staveley and the PIF — wants to buy. The PIF still wants to inject hundreds of millions of pounds into the club and the economy of England’s northeast.
What is holding up the deal is the incomprehensible intransigence of the English Premier League (EPL), the football authority that has to give its approval, and in particular its CEO Richard Masters.
The EPL and Masters have been given all the documentation they need to reach a decision on the takeover. In April, they also gave firm assurances that it would be looked at and approved in roughly a month.
The COVID-19 crisis, which halted football in the UK and most of Europe, understandably distracted them. But what really mesmerized Masters was the multimillion-dollar lobby that swung into predictable action when it looked like the deal was going to be cleared.
Human rights organizations that are always quick to attack Saudi Arabia were reinforced by Qatari broadcaster BeIN Sports, which had a longstanding grievance over broadcast rights in the Kingdom and elsewhere in the Middle East. Between them, they got enough supporters in the UK political establishment to lean on Masters.
Some of the EPL’s maneuverings appear deliberately aimed at frustrating the deal. They wanted assurances that the PIF is an independent organization within the Saudi investment scene. This they received in the form of a letter from the highest economic authority in the Kingdom, which Masters then ignored.
They dithered and dallied for so long that in the end, the Saudi-led consortium decided to break the logjam by formally pulling out of the deal.
As things stand, there are few winners emerging as a result of the EPL’s chicanery.
Ashley loses £300 million that his other businesses badly need in the pandemic downturn. The football club and city of Newcastle lose a minimum of £250 million pledged by the PIF as investment in the team and the regional economy.
Fans lose the chance to replace Ashley, whom they accuse of failing to invest in their club’s potential. There is no other viable bidder waiting in the wings.
But perhaps the biggest loser is the EPL itself. Masters misses out on the biggest single cash injection ever into the game, at a time when English football’s finances are under strain as never before from the pandemic.
The EPL managed to salvage something from the 2019-20 season by staging games in empty stadiums, avoiding having to repay hundreds of millions of pounds to TV broadcasters. But it is hard to imagine those same broadcasters, including BeIN Sports, ever bidding the same eye-watering amounts again.
This is where the EPL has finally and conclusively shown itself to be short-sighted to the point of negligence.
Sources close to the consortium told Arab News that Saudi Arabia offered to discuss the TV rights package, in effect acting as the “underwriter” when the EPL comes to renegotiate the deal in 2022. That offer was rejected, with no reason given.
If the deal gets back on track, there is no guarantee that such generosity will still be on the table.
That is the corner into which the EPL has painted itself with its craven submission to Qatar and the human rights lobby.
Dondatta13
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:32 AM
Comment #104Daily Star have ran an article about the petition…
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle-fans-demand-premier-league-22458774
one fine day
Aug 3, 2020 at 1:47 AM
Comment #105Cathedral on the hill
excellent article thanks for putting it up.
#premierleagueiscorrupt is trending high on Twitter
lots in Aus jumping on it and signing up (even none nufc want to hit qatar after they stole the world cup ).
Anyone with twitter account jump on every post the EPL does until they have to remove it
ChicoUSA
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:12 AM
Comment #106The request the EPL made to the buying consortium to identify the ultimate, unambiguous owner of the PIF will most certainly prove to be the crux of the entire matter. From the Staveley et al perspective the request is impossible to comply with as it would require the entire state of KSA to be listed as the owner. From Masters and EPL viewpoint perhaps it is a legitimate part of the owner and directors‘ fitness test and a refusal to identify the owner of the PIF a legitimate reason to fail the test.
The interesting fact that would shed more light on the whole issue is the timing of the request. Was it made early on in the review period by the PL, as it should have been if it was a legitimate and innocent request. However if it came late in the process then it could be a key piece of evidence that the EPL were determined to scuttle the takeover and merely used the late requested PIF Ownership question as a convenient excuse to fail the test for the true reason or reasons: one or more of the following:
1. The opposition of other clubs
2. The piracy issue
3. Human rights issues
4. Simple reluctance to make ANY decision that would bring heat upon the EPL.
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:31 AM
Comment #107Chico,
What I find most interesting, is the way we have been played.
First of all, let me say Amanda staveley is an extremely clever lady.
Look at the sequence of events.
Official release of the withdrawal, stating only business reasons ( COVID, timing, financial insecurity blah, blah blah)
Next day, interview with the press…not a single mention of said Business reasons. Completely focused on emotional / passionate issues. Crying at the interview :-
Quotes – I love the club, I love the supporters, I fell in love with the club the first time I went to at James.
And urging fans to help out.
If the consortium thought that the PL had acted “wrong” in any way…they would have been quite able to bring that to some kind of legal proceedings.
We’ve been played …….we’ve been egged on to have a go at the PL To fight a proxy battle that the main players didn’t think they could win.
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:36 AM
Comment #108BtW,
I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing….we want what Amanda wants. (Win-win)
(I just don’t like being used)
ChicoUSA
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:43 AM
Comment #109NY
Very interestIng post! I DO think there is some strategy at play here. Not sure Staveley is the bad actor though. It may be that she and the consortium are merely trying to force Masters and Co to come to a decision one way or the other. If the the answer was no then they can take legal action.
Throckley Gadjee
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:43 AM
Comment #11053,434 and counting.
Also managed to get signed up to the NUST 🙂
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:48 AM
Comment #111NY Mag
That may well be the case but she does seem to really want to be part of the takeover of the club and if we the fans are part of the battle as a ploy by her then she has a lot of willing participants, me included! 🙂
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:49 AM
Comment #112Chico,
I’m not saying she’s a bad actor. I’m not even saying that she doesn’t want the same thing as the fans (although it maybe for different reasons).
What I was sayin is that ( I believe) she is very good at market manipulation….in this particular case, social media manipulation, which of course can be very powerful in lieu of any legalities.
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:52 AM
Comment #113Bill,
Also, me included
I want the same thing as Mandy…..that’s the genius in it 🙂
lesh
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:53 AM
Comment #114Essex Geordie Bill
Your open letter to Johnson ticked a lot of boxes.
Might I suggest you issue it to the national media. Exposure will force a reaction.
Well done.
lesh
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:58 AM
Comment #115Nicky the ball tosser
@41
The EPL’s rules for the O&D test are there for all to see. Ask yourself whether they have been adhered to, objectively and without influence. You might find you’ll change your opinion.
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 3, 2020 at 2:59 AM
Comment #116I think I’ve joined NUST, although as an OAP it’s a bit of a stretch for my finances! 🙂
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 3:04 AM
Comment #117Bill,
Let’s hope you here something from them, I never did 🙁
Essex Geordie Bill
Aug 3, 2020 at 3:07 AM
Comment #118Lesh
Why not, I’m happy to send it to the Torygraph but it’s way past my bedtime so I’ll do it later.
GdNight to you NY Mag, Chico and anyone else still around, today’s comments have been interesting with a lot of co operation and togetherness.
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 3:09 AM
Comment #119Lesh,
I’d you read rule F1 which is the main crux of the ODT, then you go onto to read rule F1.1.1 – then you’ll get the gist of what’s going on (that’s not me agreeing or not, Just pointing it out)
NY Mag
Aug 3, 2020 at 3:10 AM
Comment #120Goodnight bill,
Take care mate!!