MP Mearns urges PL to be ‘transparent’
THE Premier League has been urged to be ‘concise’ and ‘utterly transparent’ over whom it sought advice from over the Newcastle United takeover following 24 hours of explosive revelations, writes ANDEW MUSGROVE.
The Chronicle exclusively revealed 13 pages of emails between the Premier League and Department for Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS] which showed the league confirmed a decision on the Saudi-backed takeover could be possible within 24 hours of June 21 last year.
However, it added though the situation could change quickly and there was ‘no set time’ to a conclusion being drawn.
Government sources were adamant a decision was close and organised a top-level meeting across several departments to deal with the outcome.
It was then revealed the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene and ‘correct’ the league’s position on the deal.
The DCMS confirmed to the Chronicle it had no correspondence with the Saudi government regarding the buy-out.
Ian Mearns, MP for Gateshead and a life-long Newcastle United season ticket holder, feels the Premier League need to be more transparent on the matter.
He said: “When the Premier League was posing the question ‘things could change,’ I want to know at that stage what was it that it was anticipating could change?
“I am convinced there was outside interference, possibly from other Premier League clubs.
“There are a number of things which are commercially confidential here but it smacks of something to hide and a cover-up – from that perspective it will come out sooner rather than later.
“If the league has nothing to hide, it should be disclosing that at the earliest opportunity.
“The Premier League needs to stop leading us up the garden path – just come out, be clear, concise and utterly transparent about what involvement there has been – and if there has been any interference from any outside sources. “
The DCMS did not offer a comment when asked about what the agenda of the high-level meeting was to be but insisted the UK Government was not involved at any point in the takeover talks on the sale of United.
A spokesman said: “It is for the Premier League alone to make assessments of potential acquisitions of football clubs under its owners’ and directors’ test.”