Newcastle ‘expulsion on the table’ as only punishment after takeover ‘leak’ gives PL ‘major problem’

A football finance expert claims ‘expulsion’ would be ‘on the table’ if the Premier League punished Newcastle United after ‘leaked’ messages surfaced.

Mike Ashley’s spell as Newcastle owner came to an end in 2021 as a consortium led by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of the Premier League club.

PIF purchased an 80% stake in Newcastle, while the Reuban Brothers and PCP Capital Partners bought a 10% share.

The Magpies were battling relegation when this takeover was completed, but manager Eddie Howe has overseen their rise in recent years as they returned to the Champions League ahead of schedule.

Newcastle have been impacted by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules in recent years as the past 18 months have been frustrating for the club.

In the summer, there was a major overhaul as Amanda Staveley left the club and Paul Mitchell replaced Dan Ashworth as sporting director.

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At the end of last week, a report from The Telegraph revealed ‘leaked WhatsApp messages’ from Staveley ‘suggest’ Newcastle’s ‘takeover was controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’ as he ‘pulled the strings’.

‘The messages from Amanda Staveley, who brokered the club’s sale by tycoon Mike Ashley to the Gulf Kingdom’s trillion-dollar Public Investment Fund (PIF), raise questions over guarantees made to the Premier League to secure the deal.

‘The cache of WhatsApps suggest the Crown Prince, who is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was signing off key decisions.

‘At one point, Ms Staveley warns the sellers that “the Crown Prince is losing patience”, and when the deal hit trouble, she said the governor of PIF was “trying to…convince the Crown Prince not to pull out”.

‘The messages shed new light on the extent of political involvement in the takeover.’

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Responding to this story, former Everton chairman Keith Wyness claims ‘expulsion’ would be the only punishment ‘on the table’ for Newcastle if the Premier League take action.

However, Wyness “doesn’t expect Newcastle to face any sanction” as the club would only need to “prove” one thing to avoid being punished.

“It’s giving the Premier League another major problem at a time when they do not need it,” Wyness told Football Insider.

“The WhatsApp messages seem to have come from the seller side, someone working with Mike Ashley – from the way it has been written.

“I don’t know why they have been leaked, but the Premier League have egg on their face again. There may be an investigation, but I don’t think it’s going to affect anything in a big way.

“I don’t expect Newcastle to face any sanction. The Premier League would have to look at either expulsion of the league, or nothing – and I don’t think we’ll go down the expulsion route.

“Newcastle would only have to prove that PIF is running the club on a day-to-day basis, which they appear to be.”