Newcastle United's seemingly never-ending takeover saga drew to a close in 2021 as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben family finally got the keys to St James' Park from Mike Ashley. However, that may all be about to change.
The turnaround in fortunes on Tyneside has been well-documented as Newcastle enjoyed a revival both on and off the pitch. Key appointments behind the scenes and shrewd signings for Eddie Howe's squad have seen the Magpies enjoy their first cup final this century and a European push in the Premier League.
However, court documents unveiled in the United States this week have seen Amnesty International call on top flight chiefs to 're-examine' the 2021 takeover. So how has a legal dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf resulted in Newcastle's takeover hitting the headlines once again?
FULL STORY: Newcastle United backlash from Premier League unlikely after calls to "re-examine" takeover
What is LIV Golf?
LIV Golf is a professional golf tour financed by PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. The first LIV Golf Invitational Series event was held in 2022 but there has been major backlash from those inside and outside the golf world about the introduction of this new, wealthy tour.
Journalists and commentators have said LIV is part of 'sportswashing' efforts by the Saudi monarchy. “Golf but louder,” is one of their slogans with players paid a small fortune to take part in the breakaway circuit.
The first season of LIV Golf events were the richest tournaments in the sport's history. The winner’s share at each stop was $4 million, and the last-place finisher was guaranteed $120,000.
Why are in they dispute with the PGA Tour?
LIV and the PGA have been in court since August after 11 pro-golfers, who were suspended from PGA events after playing in LIV tournaments, sued the PGA for allegedly using its power to 'stifle competition and punish defectors.'
Players who have joined any LIV event have been subsequently prohibited from playing on the PGA Tour. However, golfers want the option to play in any competition they want, regardless of who organises it.
They argue they are 'independent contractors' and have not been prevented from playing on rival circuits in the past.
What was said in court?
This is where Newcastle United come in.
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".
"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."
Why does it matter?
Newcastle United's £300m takeover was only given the green light by the Premier League after top flight chiefs received 'legally binding assurances' there would be no state involvement in the running of the club. PIF have always insisted they are a separate entity from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The sovereign wealth fund are now claiming Al-Rumayyan cannot be called to testify in the LIV lawsuit due to being a 'sitting minister' of the Saudi Arabian government.
Do PIF think they have a way around this? In a 13-page 'PIF law' document, the wealth fund state: ‘The (Saudi Arabia PIF) Fund shall have a Governor at the rank of [Government] Minister. If the Governor’s position becomes vacant, the Board may assign another person to temporarily carry out his duties.’
What the Premier League have said
The Premier League are refusing to comment on recent developments but Chief Executive Richard 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 about a potential discovery. “There are legally binding assurances that essentially the state will not be in charge of the club.
“If we find evidence to the contrary, we can remove the consortium as owners of the club. That is understood.”
'No backlash expected'
The Premier League are 'unlikely' to re-examine Newcastle United's ownership - despite the recent court filings. Chronicle Live believes that for all the noise about the club, Newcastle will be confident no fresh action will be taken against them because of those "legally-binding assurances" surrounding the separation from the Saudi state and the Public Investment Fund.
However, a number of Premier League clubs are said to still harbour major concerns over the manner of the takeover, how it was allowed to materialise and the future impact it could have on the English top flight.
