Matt Slater has been speaking to The Ornstein & Chapman Podcast about the proposed takeover of Newcastle United after he produced a piece on the complexities of the issues it presents to the Premier League.
Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium agreed a deal in April for the purchase of the Toon and paid a deposit to Mike Ashley.
However, we are now in June, and nothing has happened; this led Slater to produce this piece on the takeover and also speak his mind on the podcast.
Slater claims that ‘piracy is specifically mentioned’ in the Premier League’s tests.
He also states that the Premier League have spent the last two years trying to prosecute BeoutQ for piracy, and that this is ‘also a problem’.
Slater also describes the test in detail and insists that it has nothing to do with moral concerns but that it is about the suitability of buyers and whether or not they should be allowed to own a Premier League club.
He claims that issues such as ‘human rights and foreign policy are just not there, but piracy is there, and that’s the issue.’
Do the concerns over piracy worry you?
Yes, they are a huge threat to the takeover
No, the Premier League will still pass the deal
TIF Thoughts…
The piracy station BeoutQ has been proven to have direct links to the Saudi government by a report from the World Trade Organisation.
Therefore, it is easy to see why this process is complicated, and as Slater mentions, piracy is included in the Premier League’s checks.
According to Slater, the issues raised by Amnesty International and Hatice Cengiz relating to human rights will have no impact on the test.
So, it appears that it is the concern over piracy that is the main issue, and that could take some time to resolve.