Ashley intent on selling despite court setbacks

MIKE Ashley still believes he will sell Newcastle United to a Saudibacked consortium despite suffering a double legal setback at the High Court.

The Magpies lost a battle to have a lawyer removed from the Premier League arbitration panel which will adjudicate on last year’s failed takeover.

United’s request for the appeal to be made in public was also denied.

The appointment of Michael Beloff QC as the chairman of the arbitration panel was at the centre of United’s legal battle as the club sought to have him removed on grounds of ‘alleged bias’.

The Magpies considered Beloff to have a conflict of interest because of an existing relationship with the league’s legal team, Bird and Bird.

They also claimed he advised the Premier League on the construction of its Owners’ and Directors’ Test.

Yesterday’s High Court ruling is a setback for Ashley but he is determined to fight for the £300million takeover to go through.

In a statement, United said: “The club is disappointed with the court’s judgment on this issue.

“As noted at the end of the judgment, the club submitted that the judge did not address all of the club’s arguments.

“The club is committed to the speedy and fair determination of its claim so the proposed takeover can go ahead as soon as possible.

“However, it felt it had to make this application given the need for the dispute to be determined by way of a fair process.

“The club is considering whether or not to pursue an appeal. “The club argued for the hearing to be in public but lost on that argument.

“The club also wanted the judgment to be published, even though it was dissatisfied with the outcome of it. “Meanwhile, the EPL (English Premier League) attempted to prevent it from being published at all.

“The EPL said if it was published it should be heavily redacted and anonymised so readers would not be able to identify the dispute. “Unfortunately, this is consistent with the EPL’s lack of transparency over the takeover. The club won on this point.

“The judge rejected the EPL’s arguments and said there was a “public interest” in publication of the judgment.

“The club welcomes the fact at least its supporters, and the wider public interested in the takeover and the dispute, will now be able to have some information about the process.

“The club will continue to actively pursue its claim in the arbitration and calls on the EPL to resolve the matter in a speedy and transparent way which does not prevent the substantial investment into English football, and the North East region, that the proposed takeover would bring.”

Yesterday’s ruling was just the latest episode in a year-long saga as Ashley looks to unload the club he bought for roughly £134million in 2007 to a consortium led by businesswoman Amanda Staveley.