The ownership of Saudi-backed Newcastle was under renewed scrutiny when Premier League chief executive Richard Masters was asked by a member of the British parliament if the league was investigating the club바카라s backers. (More Football News)
Masters told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee that he was unable to comment.
The question came in light of fresh uncertainty about who controls Newcastle, which was bought for $409 million in 2021, with Saudi Arabia바카라s Public Investment Fund (PIF) having an 80% ownership stake.
At the time, a legally binding promise was made to the league that Saudi바카라s sovereign wealth fund was separate from the country바카라s government.
That has since been brought into question after an American court document filed by lawyers for Saudi-backed LIV Golf claimed the PIF should be regarded as 바카라a foreign state.바카라
"I can바카라t really comment on it,바카라 Masters said when asked by Clive Efford MP about potential investigations. 바카라I mean, even to the point of saying, 바카라Is the Premier League investigating it?바카라, we can바카라t really comment on it.
"Obviously we are completely aware. And you바카라re correct about the general nature of the undertakings that we received at the point of takeover. But I can바카라t really go into it at all.바카라
After Newcastle바카라s protracted takeover was completed, Masters told the BBC that the Saudi state would not control the club. He added that if it was proved untrue, 바카라we can remove the consortium as owners.바카라
PIF says it has assets under its management valued last year at $620 billion. It is chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and six of the other eight board members listed on its website are government ministers.
Lawyers for LIV Golf argued in a case against the PGA Tour that PIF and its governor, Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, were 바카라not ordinary third parties바카라 and should be exempted from some standards in the discovery phase of the case.
바카라They are a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,바카라 the filing said. It added that the discovery order was 바카라an extraordinary infringement on the sovereignty of a foreign state.바카라
Newcastle has thrived under its new ownership. It has been transformed from a team that was battling to avoid relegation from English soccer바카라s top flight, to one that is challenging for qualification for next season's the Champions League.
