Jamie Gardner, a journalist from PA, has revealed the details of an offer from a Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) businessman to the Premier League amid the proposed takeover of Newcastle United.
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According to tweets posted on the journalist’s official Twitter page, the businessman offered the top flight a substantial sum for a TV rights deal in the country as a ‘solution’ to their piracy issues.
Indeed, the Saudis were found via a report from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be guilty of running the pirate satellite television channel beoutQ, which was responsible for the illegal broadcasting and streaming of live sporting events, including games from the Premier League.
This was a breach of their own international laws as Qatar is the only country in the Middle East to hold the rights to show these live events, and so Saudi Arabia was guilty of committing an act of piracy.
As per the PA journalist, beIN Sports, which is the Qatari broadcaster for whom former Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray work, hold the region rights until at least 2022, but the Saudis believed that they could strike a deal for the rights as beIN’s licence had been suspended there and consequently banned in the KSA.
The group of private businessman were put together by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), who were set to hold an 80% majority stake in the Tyneside club should the takeover have gone through.
EXCLUSIVE: Saudi businessmen offered the Premier League a substantial sum for a TV rights deal in the kingdom as a 'solution' to the piracy issue related to the #NUFC takeover. Significant because the offer was for the CURRENT rights cycle, not a future deal. 1/3
— Jamie Gardner (@PAJamieGardner) July 31, 2020
The group of private businessmen were got together by the Saudi public investment fund, which was looking to take an 80% stake in #NUFC. Story has run on the @pasport wire. 3/3
— Jamie Gardner (@PAJamieGardner) July 31, 2020
Indeed, perhaps it is encouraging to see that the KSA seemed to be trying hard to clamp down on their piracy issues, but perhaps it was too late as the consortium grew fed up of waiting for a final decision from the Premier League.
Nevertheless, this could potentially work to their favour if the deal is to be resurrected.
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