Matt Slater has given an update on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United on his official Twitter page as he provided some more insight on the Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) set out by the Premier League.
As per his tweet, The Athletic journalist claimed that the test does not only apply to the directors looking to take over the football club, but also anybody who can influence them, including the banning of shadow directors.
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Slater concluded in his tweet that “this is an issue for PIF”, referring of course to the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) which is being used to fund the £300m deal between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabain-led group.
The ODT is not just limited to named directors. It also applies to anyone who can exert influence over those directors. This is to stop banned people from pulling the strings (shadow directors). This is an issue for PIF.
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) July 7, 2020
Indeed, the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and the billionaire Reuben brothers based in London are set to join Staveley on the new board of directors if the Premier League approve of their bid to take over from Ashley. However, certain clauses in the ODT may cause them some issues as Slater has suggested, if anyone found to have exerted their influence on the buying side is not deemed a fit and proper person by the league.
MbS has been questioned previously as to whether he is a fit and proper person, given the accusations against him from Hatice Cengiz – the fiancee of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi – who has accused MbS of being involved in his murder (as per The Guardian).
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Nevertheless, the crown prince is innocent until proven guilty, but the results of the ODT remain unclear up until this point, leaving many members of the Toon faithful biting their fingernails as to whether their takeover will eventually be approved by the Premier League.
Geordies, will the Premier League approve the takeover? Comment below with your views!
