Newcastle United takeover was 'wake-up call' for Premier League

The Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test needs a “serious overhaul”, according to Amnesty International.
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A proposed Saudi Arabia-backed £300million takeover of Newcastle United collapsed last week over the Premier League’s failure to make a timely decision on approval.

The deal, which had strong support on Tyneside, faced objections from over TV piracy in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s human rights record.

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And Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK’s director, has reacted to the breakdown of the takeover by calling for the Premier League to revise its owners’ and directors’ test after a “major wake-up call”.

“The controversy around the Saudi-Newcastle has been a major wake-up call – the Premier League urgently needs to get its house in order,” said Allen. “The current owners’ and directors’ test is hopelessly unsuited to the task of vetting who gets to own and run English football clubs – it needs a serious overhaul.

“At present, anyone wishing to sportswash their reputation by buying into English football can do so knowing that even their involvement in war crimes or torture wouldn’t stop them.

“The owners’ and directors’ test simply hasn’t kept up with modern trends in international football ownership, not least with foreign powers buying their way into the game.

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Football can be a real force for good, as the excellent Football Welcomes project has demonstrated, but top-flight football needs to sort out this thorny issue of ownership.”

Meanwhile, there is still hope on Tyneside that the deal can be resurrected. The prospective owners planned to invest £250million into the club over a five-year period.