Premier League 'warned over Newcastle United takeover' by WTO report

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is set to publish its findings after investigating Qatari complaints about the illegal streaming of sports in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sports, which is blocked in the kingdom despite owning the Premier League rights for the country, has objected to the £300m deal. Chief executive Yousef Al-Obaidly said in a letter: It’s no exaggeration to say that the future economic model of football is at stake.”

According to a leaked legal summary, the report claims that the Premier League “would be acting inconsistently with its own decisions and factual evidence as part of the WTO proceedings” if it approved the takeover.

The Premier League has previously tried to shut down pirate channel beoutQ, which shows its games in Saudi Arabia.