The Athletic’s Matt Slater has provided his view on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United.
Speaking on The Ornstein & Chapman Podcast, Slater claimed that the Premier League are facing a ‘huge dilemma’ around this takeover.
Slater believes that this is because the ‘Premier League’s entire success’ has been based on partnerships with broadcasters and its hard stance on piracy.
So, to allow a country that has links to a piracy station, as proved by a report from the World Trade Organisation, could cause some problems for the league.
Slater claims that the Premier League have ‘led the charge’ in trying to stop BeoutQ, especially as the Premier League needs support from broadcasters ‘now more than ever’ in Slater’s view.
Do you think Slater is right?
Yes, it is a huge decision for the Premier League to make
No, it should have been passed ages ago
TIF Thoughts…
The deal for Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium to buy Newcastle has been with the Premier League since April after a deposit was paid to Mike Ashley.
Slater, as well as appearing on this podcast, has produced a wonderful piece for The Athletic on why the deal has still not passed the Premier League’s required checks.
Essentially, the Premier League want Saudi Arabia to make some concessions before they pass the takeover, and these include shutting down BeoutQ and unblocking BeIN Sports.
However, the league are also aware that blocking the takeover might have implications because of the government’s close ties with Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, we understand why Slater feels that the Premier League are facing a ‘huge dilemma’.
This also could explain why the deal has taken so long, considering the checks started in April, and could drag on for a bit longer yet.