NEWCASTLE HIRE LAWYER IN DISPUTE WITH PREMIER LEAGUE OVER TAKEOVER

English club Newcastle United have instructed lawyers in their dispute with the

Premier League over the attempted Saudi-led takeover of the club.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Blackstone Chambers said two of its

barristers, Shaheed Fatima and Nick De Marco, are acting for the club in the

matter.

The Magpies had released a statement on Wednesday last week claiming the

Premier League had rejected a takeover bid which would have seen Saudi Arabia's

public investment fund (PIF) take an 80 per cent stake in the club.

The statement said: The club and its owners do not accept that Premier League

chief executive Richard Masters and the Premier League have acted appropriately

in relation to this matter and will be considering all relevant options available to

them.

However, the Premier League responded the following day, saying it was

a surprised and disappointed by Newcastle's statement and that it had not

rejected the takeover bid.

The league statement read;The Premier League board has, on a number of

occasions, given its opinion about which entities it believes would have control

over the club should the consortium proceed with the acquisition. That opinion is

based on legal advice.

This means the potential takeover could proceed to the next stage should the

relevant entities provide all appropriate information.

They would then be subject to a suitability assessment by the board. As an

alternative, the board has repeatedly offered independent arbitration as a way

forward since June. It is also incorrect to suggest these decisions were taken by any individual; they

were agreed unanimously by all Premier League board members.