Leaked WhatsApp messages from Amanda Staveley, the former minority co-owner of Newcastle United, suggest that Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, played a significant role in the club’s takeover, according to a Sunday report. Staveley, who sold her shares and stepped down from the board in July, facilitated the £305m deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021. This was after the Premier League received legally binding assurances that the Saudi state and the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund were separate entities.
Given Bin Salman’s position as PIF chairman, the involvement raised concerns. The Telegraph published messages indicating his crucial role in the purchase from British retail tycoon Mike Ashley and the UK government’s involvement. In one message, Staveley warns Ashley’s camp that “the Crown Prince is losing patience,” while another mentions efforts to “convince the Crown Prince not to pull out.” She also notes: “The UK Saudi ambassador spoke to the Crown Prince this morning.”
The Premier League sought assurances that PIF was independent from the Saudi state. Despite foreign states not being banned from owning Premier League clubs, Saudi Arabia’s human rights record caused significant concerns. A CIA report concluded that Bin Salman approved the murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, though the crown prince denies personal involvement.
Staveley, through her lawyers, told the Telegraph that she referred to Bin Salman only as PIF chairman and that suggesting her messages cast doubt on PIF’s independence is “illogical and misconceived.” In October 2021, the Premier League stated it had “received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club,” and Staveley described PIF as “an autonomous, commercially driven investment fund.”
A PIF spokesman responded to the Telegraph report, stating that the Premier League’s assurances remain unchanged. Staveley reiterated her confidence in PIF’s assurances being adhered to. Initially holding a 10% stake in Newcastle, PIF now controls 85%, with the Reuben Brothers holding the remaining 15%. Staveley’s long-held ambition to have a stake in Newcastle culminated in a significant meeting with PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan on Bin Salman’s yacht in 2019.
The Guardian reported in 2022 that the UK government had facilitated the Saudi Arabian takeover. Staveley reportedly told Ashley’s team in October 2020 that “No 10 can’t get further involved than what they have done to date.” Lord Grimstone, the then UK minister for investment, clarified that his role was to facilitate communication between PIF and the Premier League without influencing the League’s autonomy.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
