Newcastle United takeover: Arbitration hearing date revealed as Premier League granted CAT case challenge extension

The papers - which also revealed the Premier League have been granted more time to prepare their response to the anti-competition challenge from Mike Ashley – claim the arbitration will be heard this July.

The arbitration has been brought to challenge the Premier League’s application of their own rules in relation to the stalled Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, Reuben Brothers and PCP Capital Partners takeover of Newcastle United.

An update released on the CAT website laid out the Premier League made a specific request to extend their deadline to answer and challenge the anti-competition case.

They requested an extension to June 15. While an extension was granted, it was not as long as the Premier League requested. Instead, they now have until 5pm on June 11 to respond.

Referencing the arbitration – run by a totally separate legal team employed by Ashley – headed up by Shaheed Fatima and Nick De Marco, the papers state: “In arbitration proceedings with Newcastle United Football Club, which are said to cover materially identical issues to those raised in the Claim and which are being heard on an expedited basis in July 2021.”

The papers also revealed the Premier League are seeking extensions to deadlines in relation to the filing of evidence for the arbitration hearing itself.

It reads: “As present, it is not known whether the Defendant will be granted the separate extensions of time which it is currently seeking from the arbitral tribunal but in any event the extension which it is there seeking for disclosure is to 26 May 2021, which is also its current deadline for filing its evidence.

"Whether or not it is granted an extension for filing evidence to 9 June 2021 as it has requested, I consider that it can prepare that evidence in parallel with its evidence in support of the Jurisdiction Application.

"I do not see that the Defendant will be prejudiced by a limited extension. Taking all this into account, I consider that a slightly more limited extension of time to 11 June 2021 is appropriate and justified.”

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