The "delighted Ashley has gone, but uncomfortable with Saudi ownership" thread

[nbthree3]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-60744515

 

Addressing the Commons, Mr Amesbury said: "Is the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund a right and proper and fit for purpose owner of Newcastle United?"

Ms Milling replied: "The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund is a significant investor, having invested billions in the UK and other western markets, it operates across a range of sectors.

"We welcome the purchase of Newcastle United, a sign that the UK remains a great place to invest."

 

Labour's Chi Onwurah who represents Newcastle upon Tyne Central, said: "I think it's important to say that in utterly condemning this atrocious, horrific massacre, I speak for many of my constituents and Newcastle United fans.

"Does the minister agree with me that whereas football fans have no control or influence over the ownership of their beloved clubs and especially in a Premier League awash with dirty money, the UK government has both control and influence in who it trades with and who it engages with?

"Will she tell us what she is going to do with that control and influence?"

Ms Milling replied: "With regards to Newcastle United, we've never had a role at any point in the club's prospective takeover and this has been a commercial matter for the Premier League."

The Premier League said Newcastle's owners proved suitable separation from the Saudi state before the buy out.

[Kid Icarus]

52 minutes ago, jack j said:

Just caught the back of neville on skysporrs there. Is he suggesting they redo the ownerships rules and therefore take our ownership away?

 

Neville really needs to have a bit more humility about his lack of knowledge on these things tbh. I'm sure he has the best of intentions and he shouldn't be expected to know, but he's always very willing to push his very strong public opinions on things he (at least imo) has more or less no knowledge on. All while (rightly) bemoaning the lack of respect given to experts, which strikes me as contradictory

 

It was only pre-Ukraine that he was insisting it's better to have the likes of MBS, Qatar, Abramovich around the table and to help them progress. He's now presumably realised the obvious (that he was being incredibly naïve) and will now push his new stance until he learns something new again.

[Awaymag]

4 minutes ago, Si said:

From the PIF website "Under the chairmanship and guidance of HRH Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Board is responsible for overseeing PIF’s long-term strategy, investment policy and performance."

 

I think you are getting confused the Premier League didn't say there were no connections between PIF and Saudi they received reassurances t he at the Saudi Gov wouldn't be involved in the day to day running of the club. Putting it in other terms the links between our club and it's funding are more explicit than they are between Putin and Abrhamovich. 

Okay so what you are saying is you dont believe in the law and you want others to agree with you.  That's fine, is there any law you do agree with or are you a free  spirit?

You can appeal against any law decision to a point but to keep going on about Saudi government =PIF is legally incorrect and so your opinion/argument is incorrect!

[Gaztoon]

4 minutes ago, Si said:

Boris was also taking Russian money a month or two ago.

 

Nowhere near the same scale.. Saudis have pumped billions in this country the last decade.

[The Prophet]

I disagreed with their comments on Howe. I feel they're totally misdirected.

 

[Sima]

20 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

Neville really needs to have a bit more humility about his lack of knowledge on these things tbh. I'm sure he has the best of intentions and he shouldn't be expected to know, but he's always very willing to push his very strong public opinions on things he (at least imo) has more or less no knowledge on. All while (rightly) bemoaning the lack of respect given to experts, which strikes me as contradictory

 

It was only pre-Ukraine that he was insisting it's better to have the likes of MBS, Qatar, Abramovich around the table and to help them progress. He's now presumably realised the obvious (that he was being incredibly naïve) and will now push his new stance until he learns something new again.

Neville is just like Johnson, looking which way the wind is blowing and following the opinion despite not really having any clue of the nuance and not providing any solution.  
 

Only he’s on the other side.

 

Part of me still thinks this attack would be nowhere near as severe if we were still looking relegation certainties.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Sima

[madras]

11 minutes ago, Gaztoon said:

 

Nowhere near the same scale.. Saudis have pumped billions in this country the last decade.

Not the same scale but the returns the Russians got for their investment far outweighs the Saudis return.

[Si]

20 minutes ago, Awaymag said:

Okay so what you are saying is you dont believe in the law and you want others to agree with you.  That's fine, is there any law you do agree with or are you a free  spirit?

You can appeal against any law decision to a point but to keep going on about Saudi government =PIF is legally incorrect and so your opinion/argument is incorrect!

https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/Pages/About-OurLeadership.aspx

 

Look at the web address, then look at the board members

 

[Kanji]

Neville sat there all sheepish "uncomfortable" is quite something. He and most of the talking heads in football, the league executives, the tv broadcasters, global sponsors (banks, tyre companies, apparel companies, luxury jewelers, watch companies, betting companies, car companies, etc etc etc etc) all play a hand in where football is today. Now everyone is ready to take a stand? 

[Sima]

4 minutes ago, Kanji said:

Neville sat there all sheepish "uncomfortable" is quite something. He and most of the talking heads in football, the league executives, the tv broadcasters, global sponsors (banks, tyre companies, apparel companies, luxury jewelers, watch companies, betting companies, car companies, etc etc etc etc) all play a hand in where football is today. Now everyone is ready to take a stand? 

Aye, he’s benefitted massively on a personal level from Abramovich being a conduit for all of the money that poured into football post his arrival.

[Guest HTT II]

Neville bemoaning PIF/Abramovic yet works for fucking Sky, arguably the destroyer of our game, get to fuck you little weasel faced cunt!

[Awaymag]

3 minutes ago, Si said:

https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/Pages/About-OurLeadership.aspx

 

Look at the web address, then look at the board members

 

I dont need to .   The law has already stipulated that PIF is legally separate to the Saudi Government.   So your argument, the wind up merchant on Twitter, Holt, Delaney, Tariq etc are all pissing in the wind.  Instead of regurgitating the same line over and over again and shouting down anybody that challenges.  Why dont you all get together and put a legal review/challenge of why the law sees PIF as a different legally entity to the Saudi  Government?

 

I agree the Saudi Government does awful things and should quite rightly be challenged but to keep on going at NUFC fans, Howe etc on what the government does - is not only targeting the wrong people, it is by law totally incorrect.

[Dr Venkman]

1 hour ago, Wolfcastle said:

Probably just shouldn't be allowed to be owned by anybody outside whatever country your team is in.

Get no cultural differences that way.

There again why just limit it to football or sport. Its the same tentacles in business and the same morals.

 

 

 

Can we please not ban any foreign investment in UK companies just to stop NUFC being good? Brexit is fucking bad enough.

[Si]

9 minutes ago, Awaymag said:

I dont need to .   The law has already stipulated that PIF is legally separate to the Saudi Government.   So your argument, the wind up merchant on Twitter, Holt, Delaney, Tariq etc are all pissing in the wind.  Instead of regurgitating the same line over and over again and shouting down anybody that challenges.  Why dont you all get together and put a legal review/challenge of why the law sees PIF as a different legally entity to the Saudi  Government?

 

I agree the Saudi Government does awful things and should quite rightly be challenged but to keep on going at NUFC fans, Howe etc on what the government does - is not only targeting the wrong people, it is by law totally incorrect.

 

 

"Prove it!"

 

"Ok look at this."

 

"No I won't."

 

 

Night mate.

 

 

[Awaymag]

1 minute ago, Si said:

 

 

"Prove it!"

 

"Ok look at this."

 

"No I won't."

 

 

Night mate.

 

 

Prove that they are not legally separate.  I have the law on my side.

 

Sleep tight!

[The Prophet]

There's no way the KSA Government and PIF are separate entities like. It's essentially a state savings account. MBS run it for fucks sake

[Awaymag]

4 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

There's no way the KSA Government and PIF are separate entities like. It's essentially a state savings account. MBS run it for fucks sake

? but legally they are.

[Scoot]

1 hour ago, Si said:

But they are obviously.

 

Not according to the Premier league they're not.

[The Prophet]

1 minute ago, Awaymag said:

? but legally they are.

 

Only by the Premier League's current fit and proper persons test.

[Awaymag]

5 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Only by the Premier League's current fit and proper persons test.

Nope World Trade and Saudi Law.

[The Prophet]

5 minutes ago, Awaymag said:

Nope World Trade and Saudi Law.

 

The World Trade stuff isn't law for what it's worth.

[Ben]

Perhaps the only fair way is to ban all foreign ownership of premier league clubs, give the fans 50% and let the clubs earn as much as they can through gate receipts, sponsorship and TV money, pay the players and staff fair market value, only allow transfer fees that the clubs can justifiably afford and make the players pay their own representatives.

[Awaymag]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

The World Trade stuff isn't law for what it's worth.

Yeah but in world trade they are seen as separate also.  

[Tiresias]

Dont give a shit how many lawyers say they are seperate it's obviously the state investment arm and its run by the dude in charge. It is obvious and self evident. 

[Matt]

I'm still amazed the PL accepted the argument around separation. It's quite clearly nonsense. Most likely it was a fudge as part of making amends with BeIN Sports, given how quickly PL opposition evaporated.