Newcastle partner Staveley hopes to make progress
If you see #cans trending on social media in the next 48 hours, it’s Newcastle United fans who are to blame.
The fact that it happened now after 18 months is also a complete shock. Last week, supporters celebrated after learning of an arbitration date in January.
Now one of the most complicated takeovers in league history is over, fans can dance on the steps of St. James’ Park and dream of a better future.
It will be a future without owner Mike Ashley, where the club can compete with the largest teams in Europe thanks to the billions the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) can provide.
However, there are still many problems to be solved. How will Saudi Arabia’s human rights record affect the club? Will the Premier League explain how it came to a solution with the consortium? How much money will Newcastle have to spend? What about manager Steve Bruce?
For a fan base and club that has tumbled from drama to drama in the past two years, there’s at least a blank page now.
How did the takeover come about?
Nobody expected the takeover to be completed this week.
The best one could have asked for was January 2022, when arbitration was slated for when the consortium, led by financier Amanda Staveley, attempted to settle a dispute with the Premier League over who would have control of the club .
The Saudi state has been accused of human rights abuses and was recently embroiled in a copyright battle that would have made it difficult to carry out the takeover after testing the Premier League’s owners and directors.
So what the consortium had to do was prove that the kingdom’s PIF, which would provide 80% of the money for the takeover, was separate from the state. Difficult, perhaps, when the Prime Minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is also listed as chairman of the PIF.
But that’s what happened with legal assurances. It is understood that there will be consequences if these agreements are broken. The consortium can also show how PIF is already investing in companies without government control, including the McLaren F1 team.
The forerunner of news of the takeover on Wednesday was Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports, which has settled its dispute over the illegal broadcast of Premier League football games in Saudi Arabia.
By showing that there is a separation between the Saudi state and the PIF, this issue becomes insignificant. But after it was alleged that beIN was pressuring the Premier League to block the takeover, the timing was interesting nonetheless.
How did the fans react?
Newcastle have had an average of 48,366 viewers in their three Premier League games this season
There is no doubt that the vast majority of fans are celebrating the Saudi Arabia-led takeover, regardless of the potential distractions that come with it.
A survey by the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust (NUST) this week found 93.8% of members were in favor, up from 97% last year, and previous owner Ashley was told to “get out of our club” at almost every game .
The situation has become toxic this season. Newcastle are without a win and are at the end of the Premier League and the same fan poll said 94% want Bruce to leave “in the best interests of the club”.
The takeover, they hope, will wash away their pain. PIF’s $ 250 billion worth
“Fans are delighted that Ashley’s disastrous 14-year reign is almost over,” said NUST’s Greg Tomlinson. “They look forward to having hope and trust in their football club for the first time in many years.
“We’re not asking for the club to win trophies next season. We just want growth and a football club that gets better. The fans have been pounded into the ground.”
How will Newcastle deal with human rights concerns?
Although the Premier League insists that PIF be separated from the Saudi state, human rights organizations and activists still believe the connection is clear.
Amnesty International has urged the Premier League to change the test of its owners and directors to address human rights issues.
UK CEO Sacha Deshmukh said: “Since the first time this agreement was discussed, we have said that it is a clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to wash their appalling human rights record with the glamor of top football.
“For Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his government, the Saudi ownership of St. James’ Park has always been just as important for image management as it is for football.”
Other activists have told the BBC that although the takeover is complete, the problem will not go away.
Lina al-Hathloul, whose sister Loujain was imprisoned for protests against women’s car driving, says protests could take place at St.
She also points out that Bin Salman is the head of PIF and is still the same person he was “when he ordered the murder of” in 2018 [journalist] Jamal Khashoggi “. Western secret services think he ordered Khashoggi’s murder – a claim that the Crown Prince denies.
Tomlinson says, “Clubs are bought and sold at the highest level by billionaires and sovereign states, and we don’t have a say. But as a support organization, we will always stand up for inclusion and oppose discrimination and human rights violations. “
“We will use our influence to bring about change where we can.”
Public relations management for a Saudi Arabia-backed acquisition will be an important item in the consortium’s inbox and will likely continue long after the deal is complete.
But the country has already demonstrated its ability to deal with these problems when it hosts fights for British heavyweight Anthony Joshua, the Spanish Supercup and a Formula 1 Grand Prix, which will be held for the first time in December.
Staveley denied that the takeover was about sportswear and told BBC Sport: “Our partner is not the Saudi state, it is PIF. It took me four years to get here and I worked with a great team that I got to know very well and I trust their judgment on what is great for Newcastle. ”
Newcastle United takeover: Mike Ashley’s turbulent 14 years
What is the vision of the new owners?
Backed by the wealth of PIF, the consortium also consists of Staveleys PCP Capital Partners and British real estate investors Reuben Brothers, who are also billionaires, so there is no shortage of money.
Hailing from Yorkshire, Staveley has spoken in the past of her admiration for Manchester City, which helped take over Abu Dhabi 13 years ago, and now says she wants to invest in the club’s community and infrastructure.
But she has also previously urged caution on wasteful spending, preferring to highlight how the City owners have invested in the city of Manchester.
After completing the takeover, Staveley said: “Of course we want to see trophies, every football club owner will say that from day one.
“But trophies take investment, time, patience and teamwork. To get there we want fans to understand and trust us and we will listen to your voices.”
From the club’s point of view, one of the first points on the 48-year-old’s agenda is to revise the club structure and improve communication with the fans.
Ashley is rarely heard from, and all communications from high-ranking figures are often in the form of testimony from General Manager Lee Charnley, who is Bruce’s point of contact for transfers.
But there is no executive director to run the club, there is no football director and Bruce is the public figure who has to ask himself questions weekly on everything from legal cases to lack of money for players which led to great frustration over the summer.
Now what for Bruce?
Steve Bruce has won 29 of his 96 games as Newcastle manager, averaging 1.17 points per game
Bruce, a Newcastle fan himself, says he wants “only the best for the club and if that means a takeover then it’s great”.
But as the new owners try to bond with supporters, the 60-year-old’s position is seriously threatened. Without the option of signing players by January, a new big-name manager would signal their intention.
When asked about Bruce’s future, Staveley said, “All of these questions are for the next month, it’s not for today. We’d love to do a review and come back to these points.”
She previously praised former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez when she made her first move for the club in 2018. But the Spaniard has got off to a good start at Everton this season. Other fans have said they would like the former Juventus, Italy and Chelsea manager Conte who is available.
Other managers in the market include former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder. The current coach Graeme Jones could also act as an interim replacement.
After a bad start to the Premier League season, the main focus will be on maintaining the club’s top status.
But for many fans the future suddenly looks brighter.
