Saudis going all out to win this takeover battle
THE huge proxy war battling in the background of Newcastle United’s takeover bid has seen substantial subs invested and major PR and reputational management firms employed on both sides as the Premier League continues to deliberate.
Richard Masters has promised a decision “shortly” on a process that has taken three months and incorporates a diverse cast of PR firms, advisors and specialists in government policy.
One source close to the process said the deal had now become a “huge symbolic battle” for Saudi Arabia and Qatar which they are determined to win. Legal action if it is turned down looks almost certain.
And while concerns on Tyneside are about seeing Mike Ashley out of the door, fans probably need to be aware the size of the operation that has been mounted on both sides of the takeover operation. Newcastle United finds itself at the centre of an argument that has seen seven figure sums and hundreds of hours of consultants’ time and advice expended on it.
Taking into account the army of lawyers and consultants – and their costs – and this has become a very high stakes game indeed. It is why talk of Saudi abandoning the bid if it drags on for much longer seem totally unrealistic.
Massive London-based PR firms, including Edelman PR – who are longterm clients of Saudi Arabia – and other, more discrete agencies are helping to advise on the deal. But figures with experience of reputation management are also working closely on it after it caused the proxy war between Qatar and Saudi Arabia to flare up once again.
On the opposite side, BEIN Sports – including their senior counsel David Sugden – have been vocal about their feelings on Newcastle’s takeover deal. It’s understood that the channel has raised privately the same points they’ve made in public about the huge impact piracy has had on their operations and the value of sports rights moving forward, as well as the message it would send for Saudi involvement to be confirmed in the Premier League.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been battling at the WTO over the fall-out from the report into intellectual property theft, with the latter accusing the former of leaking information to British newspapers. Qatar denies it but the fact the Newcastle takeover was mentioned in Saudi documents filed to the WTO highlights just how complex matters are.
All of that seems so far away from the matters Newcastle fans care about: having a team that is competitive and a club that they feel is pushing to improve. But these issues, which have been documented publicly, have caused unprecedented activity behind-thescenes and made this – in the words of one person familiar with the process – the most complicated owners and directors test the Premier League have ever dealt with.
NEWCASTLE fans taking succour from Masters’ “shortly” comment might want to consider that the timeframe for a formal announcement that Mike Ashley has left means this process still has a little bit left to run.
No decision has yet been taken but even when it is, there is still the matter of transferring funds to Mike Ashley – expected to take a few days itself – before a deal is completed and rubber stamped. At the end of that process, a formal announcement would follow and new owners could begin to communicate through club channels and press briefings, as well as meeting with supporter groups.
It’s expected that news of a decision either way by the Premier League would emerge even if no official statement or announcement is released. Neither Newcastle nor the consortium would likely release anything formal until the deal is completed, although the Premier League should communicate about the process.
All of that means even if a resolution on the owners and directors test is reached very early next week, it may still be mid-july before the situation is concluded.
All of this is eating into preparation time for next season and the summer and will have an impact on what happens to Newcastle. Work on recruitment and restructuring by prospective owners, which was underway when the tests started, has slowed down while this process continues.
++++++++++++++++++++++ GAME time will be among the main factors considered by Valentino Lazaro’s camp when it comes to the possibility of extending his stay at Newcastle
United. The Austria international joined the Magpies on loan from Inter Milan in January because he wanted a regular run of games ahead of Euro 2020.
While the Euros have been put back by a year because of coronavirus, Lazaro is naturally eager to feature more regularly in the final six fixtures of the season. Lazaro has started three games for Newcastle – Steve Bruce hailed the 24-year-old as the black-and-whites’ best player in the defeat at Crystal Palace in February despite his red card – but has not been named in the first XI since March 3.
The winger impressed when he came on against Bournemouth on Wednesday and finished superbly to put the Magpies 4-0 up late on.
The Sunday Sun understands ‘everything is open’ for Lazaro’s camp, whether that is staying at Newcastle or returning to Inter, and RB Leipzig are among those clubs still monitoring his situation.