The Premier League has adjusted its owners’ and directors’ test to prevent those found guilty of human rights violations from buying a club. Previously, the top flight had come under intense scrutiny during the Newcastle United takeover saga.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International were one of the most vocal critics of the Saudi-backed deal, which had reached an 18-month stalemate until its approval in October 2021. Any person or organisation that has been sanctioned by the UK government will also be denied the right to buy a Premier League club.
This issue is likely a consequence of Roman Abramovich having his UK-based assets - including Chelsea - frozen last year due to his alleged association with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The government intervened and forced a £2.5billion sale to a US-backed consortium fronted by Todd Boehly.
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A majority of top-flight clubs voted for the changes to be implemented with immediate effect. The UK's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 will be used as guidance when determining whether any potential owner should be disqualified.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters had hinted at an overhaul to the owners’ and directors’ test last year. He said: “The test has been under a lot of scrutiny for the last 12 months and we are looking at it again.
“We are looking at the next steps and whether more tests need to be added, whether we need to be more transparent about those decisions and whether independent scrutiny really needs to be on top of this.”
The overhaul is not expected to affect Newcastle’s ownership structure - which includes PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan - or the possible Manchester United takeover by former Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Jassim. Neither feature on the UK government’s list of people sanctioned for human rights abuses.
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