Mike Ashley Newcastle United
The Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust (NUST) have slammed the decision to adjourn the club’s arbitration case against the failed takeover from a Saudi-backed consortium last summer as ‘unacceptable’.
Here is the Trust’s letter to its members in full:
“This evening it was announced that the arbitration case between Newcastle United and the Premier League has been adjourned until early 2022 due to issues with the disclosure of evidence. In our view it is unacceptable that Newcastle United has been left in a state of limbo for 15 months by the Premier League’s opacity regarding the Owner and Director’s Test, and what actually happened last Summer. Another delay of at least six months reinforces the need for transparency across all aspects of this situation. In a scenario where the owner, the buyers, and the majority of the Newcastle United fan base want this deal to proceed (96.7% of Trust Members stated they were in favour of this takeover when polled), we are disappointed to see that further obfuscation is taking place. We believe that this entire saga emphasises the need for fundamental reform of football governance in the UK, and we will continue to explore all legitimate avenues available to the Trust to call for transparency in not just this issue but in all matters affecting our club. Newcastle United fans want this takeover because we want to believe in our club again, we want a club that competes, we want a club that tries to improve every single day and strives for sporting excellence. We don’t demand a team that wins; we demand a club that tries. That has not been the case at Newcastle United for a long time. The prospective buyers’ vision for Newcastle United is why the majority want this takeover to go ahead. Last Summer Richard Masters told the Trust that the Premier League’s role was to protect Newcastle United; we believe we deserve to see evidence of how they are achieving this. While we also await the outcome of the ongoing Competition Appeals Tribunal Case (CAT) a resolution needs to be found to allow a decision on this takeover to be made as soon as possible to allow Newcastle United to prosper. The Summer transfer window is also critical and the incumbent owner (and management) at Newcastle United must ensure the playing squad is strengthened sufficiently. Relegation to the Championship could be catastrophic. Newcastle United and our fans continue to be let down by people in positions of power. We deserve better.”
The Magpies’ takeover hopes were hit by a hammer blow on Monday evening after their arbitration case was pushed back until early 2022. Both Newcastle and the Premier League agreed to the decision after the initial hope for a resolution this month was delayed due to ‘issues with disclosure of evidence’. And in a powerful statement, the NUST have:
- Slammed the adjournment as unacceptable
- Called for transparency and fundamental reform of football governance in the UK
- Called on the Premier League to show evidence of how they are protecting the interests of Newcastle and their fans
- Called on a takeover resolution to be found as soon as possible
- And have urged the club’s current owners to strengthen the playing squad ‘significantly’.
