The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, has faced fresh questions over its takeover of Newcastle United after a court document filed in the United States raised doubts about the level of separation between the Saudi state and PIF.
The document was filed as part of a court case involving the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and describes PIF as “a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and PIF governor Yasir Al Rumayyan as “a sitting minister of the Saudi government.”
The Premier League had approved the PIF-led takeover of Newcastle United in October 2021 after receiving “legally-binding assurances” that the Saudi state would not have control of the club. However, human rights group Amnesty International has called on the league to re-examine the assurances given by Newcastle’s Saudi owners, arguing that it was “stretching credulity to breaking point” to imagine that the Saudi state wasn’t directing the buyout of Newcastle with the ultimate aim of using the club as a component in its wider sportswashing efforts.
Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, Peter Frankental, has urged governing bodies to respond more effectively to Saudi sportswashing, which he says is affecting numerous sports. Frankental added that the Premier League will surely need to re-examine the assurances made about the non-involvement of the Saudi authorities in the Newcastle deal.
The PIF is challenging an order to produce documents and testify in the LIV Golf case, arguing that the order is an “extraordinary infringement on the sovereignty of a foreign state.” While the Premier League and Newcastle United have declined to comment, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters said in November 2021 that if his organisation found evidence of state involvement in the running of the club, the consortium could be removed as owners.
The PIF-led takeover of Newcastle United had sparked concerns about human rights issues and Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing efforts. In the 18 months since the purchase, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has deteriorated markedly, with scores of executions after unfair trials, courts jailing peaceful critics, and the authorities continuing to block accountability for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. It remains to be seen whether the Premier League will take further action regarding the Newcastle takeover, especially as there is still a Qatari bid for Manchester United currently on the table.
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