Amanda Staveley calls on the Government to ‘intervene immediately’ over failed £300m Newcastle takeover as Saudi consortium spearhead hits out at the Premier League for lacking ‘accountability’
- Amanda Staveley headed-up a £300million bid to take over Newcastle in 2020
- It was revoked as the Premier League’s owners and directors test scrutinised it
- They have maintained an interest with making a deal for Mike Ashley’s club
- Staveley has now sent a letter to the government criticising the top-flight
Amanda Staveley had sent a scathing email to the Government slamming the Premier League ahead of legal proceedings over the failed £300m Newcastle takeover she headed-up.
The Saudi-backed bid caused a storm after agreeing a deal with Mike Ashley to purchase the Magpies in 2020, before the consortium pulled-out under scrutiny from the Premier League’s owners and directors test.
Staveley and Co are determined to pull-off the handover, and have brought independent arbitration proceedings which are set to kick-off this month.
Amanda Staveley has sent a tough-talking email to the Government over how football is run
The businesswoman led an attempt to buy Newcastle from Mike Ashley, which was foiled
Stavelely has fired-off a message to Tracey Crouch, the head of a government review into how football is run, asking for ‘an intervention immediately’ over the transparency in football governance, as reported by Sky News.
She hit-out at confidential arbitration processes in place to solve disputes in the game, accusing its top bosses of ‘an effective shield against public scrutiny’ and ‘closely guarded lack of transparency’
‘One might justifiably ask why that model is so favoured by those responsible for regulating the sport if they have nothing to hide,’ Staveley added in her letter.
‘Fans surely deserve absolute transparency from the regulators across all their processes – to best ensure that they act responsibly.
The St James’ Park side could still be changing hands with both parties still aiming to get a deal
‘They are performing a function like that of a government regulator – but without the same systems for accountability.
‘Now there is a chance for those involved (in the Newcastle bid) to be seen to take a robust stance – just as the government so decisively and effectively stepped into the European Super League debacle.
‘But there is real urgency – given the NUFC arbitration hearing is due to take place this month. We need intervention immediately to force the issue out into the open.
‘It is my view that it is likely that that would be enough to make those involved behave more responsibly and signal the government’s intention to take effective action in the interests of the country.’