Adviser to Manchester City Owner Has Role in Newcastle Sale

The fate of the deal, which now also includes two billionaire British property investors, who would also own 10 percent of the team, remains uncertain. A Premier League review of the sale that started several weeks ago remains incomplete amid mounting criticism of the prospect of Saudi Arabia’s buying into the world’s most-watched soccer league.

Significantly, the Premier League has come under huge pressure to block the sale from beIN Media Group, a Qatari-owned television network, which accuses Saudi Arabia of pirating billions of dollars worth of its programming, including Premier League matches. Human rights groups have also lobbied the Premier League to block the sale. The league is not known to have stopped a sale of a team to any owner with the resources to acquire it.

The Newcastle talks come at the same time Staveley is involved in a billion-dollar lawsuit related to the multibillion-dollar rescue of the British bank Barclays by Sheikh Mansour at the height of the financial crisis in 2008. Staveley has accused Barclays of costing her an investment in what would have been a lucrative deal.

Jassim, who eventually helped Staveley receive 30 million pounds (about $37.5 million) for her efforts, has agreed to appear as a witness in the lawsuit.

Jassim, who was also involved in Sheikh Mansour’s purchase of Manchester City, appeared to develop a close friendship with Staveley around that time, according to text message transcripts submitted in evidence. In one, he declared that he would “always have ur back” as the tensions over payments from Barclays started to grow.

“U are very dear to me,” he said in another message, before adding, “We have a fruitful future together.”

Jassim is scheduled to give evidence via video link from Puerto Rico on June 22.

Premier League officials are likely to be paying close attention, given Staveley’s interests — and now Jassim’s, too — in the Newcastle sale.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/sports/soccer/newcastle-premier-league.html