Testing times...
Premier League mulls over fresh piracy allegations
NEWCASTLE United’s takeover could yet rumble on as the Premier League continue to take any fresh piracy allegations extremely seriously.
It has been widely-reported that new legal documents have been sent to the Premier League, which claim to establish a link between Saudi Arabia’s government and BeoutQ, a pirate pay television broadcaster.
The Chronicle understands those documents have not come from beIN Sports. Yousef Al-Obaidly, CEO of the beIN Media Group, wrote to the Premier League and club chairmen last month and warned of the ‘danger of allowing the acquisition,’ claiming ‘the potential acquirer of Newcastle United caused huge damage to your club’s and the Premier League’s commercial revenues.’ The Premier League reiterated to The Chronicle that they are unable to comment on the matter but the buying side - Amanda Staveley, Saudi’s Public Investment Fund and the Reuben Brothers - had been confident just last weekend that the deal could soon be concluded. Ultimately, though, the owners’ and directors’ test takes as long as it takes.
It has already been a busy time for the Premier League, given the highstakes discussions surrounding Project Restart, and things are, obviously, having to all be done virtually for the first time in the organising body’s history because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saudi have previously refuted links with BeoutQ but it goes without saying that allegations of piracy are something the Premier League take extremely seriously and the crux of the owners’ and directors’
test is that applicants must not provide ‘false, misleading or inaccurate information.’
The Premier League called on the US government to keep Saudi Arabia on the priority watch list in a letter in February because they believed the Kingdom ‘remained a centre for piracy.’
On a more local level, the Premier League have prosecuted cases in court following investigations carried out alongside the Federation Against Copyright Theft. In October last year, Ammar Al-Silawi, a London retailer, was found guilty of two charges of copyright and two charges of fraud after selling illegal streaming devices (ISDs) which gave access to unauthorised Premier League broadcasts; BeoutQ’s channels were made available on the ISDs.
When it comes to this proposed takeover, perhaps one of the key points in the disqualifying events section of the owners’ and directors’ test in the Premier League handbook is the following:
F.1.6: ‘In the reasonable opinion of the board, he has engaged in conduct outside the United Kingdom that would constitute an offence of the sort described in Rules F.1.5.2 or F.1.5.3 if such conduct had taken place in the United Kingdom, whether or not such conduct resulted in a conviction.’
The Premier League will have to ascertain whether the allegations the Saudi state have facilitated piracy are grounds to reject the takeover and whether these allegations can be linked to owners or directors the consortium have nominated.
Letters of opposition on moral grounds have also been sent to the Premier League by Amnesty International and Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.