A lot of Newcastle United fans have rushed to comment on a takeover update from The Athletic shared by George Caulkin.
The piece, produced by Matt Slater, concerns the piracy issues that have plagued the Toon’s proposed takeover by Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium.
The piece claims that the Premier League is in an ‘almost impossible position‘. If they let this takeover go through, the league could damage or even sever their ties with BeIN Sports, but if they block it, they could face a major legal battle and the chance to stop BeoutQ – the piracy station that has links to the Saudi government.
It is thought that if the Premier League blocks the Toon’s takeover, then this piracy could continue.
What do you make of this?
Very complicated process that is going to take a long time to resolve
Complicated but hopeful of a positive conclusion soon
This has drawn the attention of these Toon fans. who feel positive about the deal.
Good read that. Still believe it’s #cans …but not for a while yet
— Tampers (@Tampers86) June 8, 2020
Really insightful piece which gives me more confidence a deal will be struck to resolve the piracy issue to the benefit of all parties.
— Barry J Ingham (@BarryJIngham1) June 8, 2020
Superb article! Balanced and still offers confidence the deal will happen 🙂
— Disco Dave (@DiscoDaveToon) June 8, 2020
It does say in the piece that Staveley and her partners remain confident of passing the Premier League’s tests, and they have been in constant dialogue with the league trying to resolve the issues.
The piracy issues and the risks of it continuing in the event that the takeover is blocked are why many Newcastle fans feel the Premier League will accept the deal.
Good piece. Piracy is obviously an issue that needs to be resolved. Even if the WTO report is a ‘slam dunk’ as the piece says, they’ve got the Saudis at the table at the moment. To reject the takeover would basically also end any chance to sort the piracy. Hopefully they sort it
— The Looney Toon ? (@The_Looney_Toon) June 8, 2020
Nearly tweeted you to ask about this over the weekend George. The delay more about the huge legal dilemma involved in deciding this either way. PL knows turning down the bid will result in legal challenge but so will approving it. Nightmare scenario for PL & NUFC.
— Andrew Nesbitt (@Nezy1909) June 8, 2020
Let’s be honest it would be crazy if the Premier LG turned it down… That’s would mean no chance of sorting piracy…. If PIF are at the Premier LG table then atleast there is a chance of sorting this issue @premierleague
— Chris Brosnan (@juliewong9) June 8, 2020
However, the complexity of the case has worried these Toon fans, who do not feel confident about the takeover going ahead.
Whe you first broke the news that it was a genuine bid and it was all positive from both sides, I was confident and would’ve been surprised if it got blocked. Now I’d be surprised if it was completed.
— Rob Laws (@rob_laws_85) June 8, 2020
It didn’t make pleasant reading. The premier league are in a very tricky position
— David Glass (@davidglass2012) June 8, 2020
The Athletic claims that the Premier League cannot see how it can sanction this takeover without Saudi Arabia unblocking BeIN Sports and shutting down BeoutQ.
This a detailed piece, and it is well worth any Toon fan’s time to look through it and consider everything around this takeover.
The piece does end by claiming that the takeover will probably go through – but the bid is not going to sail through.
Newcastle fans have had a mixed reaction to this piece, but it is an interesting take on an increasingly complex process.