Nick De Marco's blunt response to Newcastle United takeover question after new ownership claim

The Premier League club was taken over in October 2021 by a consortium led by financier Amanda Staveley following a long legal battle. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) own 80% of the club, which chaired by Yasir Al Rumayyan.

A court document submitted in the United States last week as part of a dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf raised fresh questions over the level of separation between the club’s hierarchy and the Saudi state.

PIF was described in the document as “a sovereign instrumentality of Saudi Arabia”, and Al Rumayyan, its governor, was said to be a “sitting minister in the Saudi government”.

“Legally-binding assurances” were given that there would be no state involvement in the club before the takeover was approved.

And Amnesty International, which has highlighted Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights, has called for the takeover to be “re-examined”.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, appearing before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, yesterday refused to reveal whether the deal would be “revisited” in the wake of the LIV Golf filings.

"We’re 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,” said Masters.

Lawyer Nick De Marco – who represented the club during the protracted takeover – recently addressed the question of an investigation into the takeover when he appeared on a football governance panel.

In comments reported by CityAM, De Marco said: “No, I don’t think the Premier League will look into this, because I don’t think they need to.”

The undertaking given to the Premier League at the time of the takeover was that the Saudi government would not exercise control of the club – and, crucially, not that they would not have the ability to do so.

“For that reason, nothing that has happened in the LIV case, it seems to me, changes any of that,” added De Marco.

“There has been no suggestion that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now changed its mind and is somehow exercising control over Newcastle, so I don’t believe this will lead to any change.”