Premier League executive director Richard Masters has indicated that a resolution on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United is near.
Masters was grilled by MPs over the £ 300m offer from the State-sponsored Saudi public investment fund (PIF) when he appeared on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports selection committee on Tuesday.
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Richard Masters was questioned by MPs about the proposed takeover of Newcastle
SNP MP John Nicholson asked the Premier League CEO how they could approve a deal when a recent report by the World Trade Organization found that Saudi Arabia had stolen beIN Sport’s copyrighted feed through the pirate beoutQ network responsible for.
Nicholson also referred to the refusal to allow former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson to take over Doncaster, but Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman may be allowed to run a Premier League club despite being accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Masters said, “You are really asking me to comment on a confidential process and I just can’t do it.
“I think our commitment to fighting piracy is well known.
“We were very frustrated with what happened to beoutQ.
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The Saudi prince is leading an attempted takeover from Newcastle
“BeoutQ is now out of the air and what we want to do in the light of the WTO report and the efforts that we and other sports have made is for Saudi Arabia to respond positively to the situation and allow sports rights holders to exercise their rights protect .
“The test of our owners and directors is not subjective, but objective.
“It enables us to disqualify potential owners – and I’m not speaking specifically here in general – on a variety of different topics.
“We think it is robust and allows us to make appropriate decisions.
“The subjective part of a test would lead to considerable difficulties.
“The clubs want to be sure that if they find the right owners for their football club, they will be let through, and if they are not the right people, they will not. In this regard, it is not a subjective test. “
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There has been a long delay in the Premier League to make a decision about the proposed takeover, but there might be a solution soon.
Newcastle and current owner Mike Ashley have remained in limbo while uncertainty about the decision remains.
The masters said, “There is no schedule as part of the rules and no specific time frame.
“These things usually take time. Some acquisitions are straightforward, while others are not.
“The process has to be completed and I want the process to be completed shortly.
“I appreciate this uncertainty.
“I can’t comment on the timing or details of a particular acquisition, but in a perfect world, acquisitions would be clean, clear, and timely.
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Mike Ashley has an unpopular figure among Newcastle fans
“Sometimes things get complicated and obviously this has a special one.
“It is very difficult to keep fans up to date as it is an absolutely confidential process that involves all types of due diligence and the use of owner and director tests.
“We have always said that these particular processes must be absolutely confidential, and when they drag on, there is sometimes a need for information.
“It happens relatively rarely. I think it’s very difficult to have a constant dialogue with fans about an absolutely confidential process. “
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