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Results after fans asked if Mike Ashley legal moves will lead to NUFC Takeover happening?

3 years ago
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The question we were asking Newcastle fans on Monday was: ‘Will Mike Ashley legal moves lead to Newcastle United Takeover happening?’

Recent days had seen Amanda Staveley, Mike Ashley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi launch coordinated attacks (see below) on the Premier League.

Repeated demands for the Premier League to allow transparency and for Ashley’s legal moves against them to be made fully public, blow by blow.

As well as trying to whip up support / pressure from Newcastle fans and the media, the potential buyers and seller also attempting to provoke MPs and indeed the Government to intervene.

The big question of course, indeed the only important one, is…Will Mike Ashley’s legal moves lead to the Newcastle United Takeover happening?

We gave Newcastle fans four options and this was how the voting went:

14% Yes and by end of August 2021

10% Yes and by end of December 2021

8% Yes and by start of 2022/23 season

68% No

A clear and realistic message coming from the Newcastle fans answering the poll, a massive 68% saying they don’t believe we will end up with a Newcastle United Takeover on the back of these Mike Ashley arbitration and ant-competition legal moves.

Of all the supporters responding, only 14%, around one in seven, believes that we will see new Newcastle United owners before the end of this summer transfer window (end of August 2021).

Altogether, only 32%, less than one in three, of voting Newcastle fans believing that a takeover will happen by the start of the 2022/23 season.

Here’s hoping reality proves something different.

Amanda Staveley letter to Tracey Crouch made public – Sunday 4 July 2021:

“Dear Ms Crouch,

“I am writing to you, given PCP Capital Partners’ well-publicised interest in acquiring Newcastle United Football Club.

“In order to demonstrate our commitment to keeping the Newcastle fans as informed as we can, I write this to you as an open letter.

“We were very pleased to see the Government’s announcement a few months ago that there is going to be a detailed review into the governance of football, led by you. Fans across the country will be hugely grateful that the issues should finally be addressed.

“A closely guarded lack of transparency from those responsible for the regulation of football does not generally promote good governance. In particular the use of arbitration to resolve disputes within football raises an effective shield against public scrutiny – and one might justifiably ask why that model is so favoured by those responsible for regulating the sport if they have nothing to hide.

“You have may seen NUFC’s press announcement from Thursday. Fans surely deserve absolute transparency from the regulators across all their processes to best ensure that they act responsibly. They are performing a function like that of a Government regulator – but without the same systems for accountability.

“This is very much a chance for those involved to be seen to take a robust stance – just as the Government so decisively and effectively stepped into the European Super League debacle. But there is real urgency given the NUFC arbitration hearing is due to take place this month. We need intervention immediately to force the issue out into the open. It is my view that it is likely that that would be enough to make those involved behave more responsibly and signal the Government’s intention to take effective action in the interests of the country.

“I look forward to hearing from you.

“Yours sincerely,

“Amanda Staveley”

On Saturday 3 July 2021, via his Twitter account, Mehrdad Ghodoussi declaring about the behaviour of the Premier League:

“Delay tactics, zero transparency. Fans deserve better.

Tracey Crouch, please look into this. #NUFC”

Mike Ashley Official Statement released via NUFC regarding Newcastle United Takeover arbitration – Thursday 1 July 2021:

‘The Club continues to receive requests for updates on its current arbitration claim against the Premier League (‘EPL’) considering the lawfulness of the EPL’s decisions regarding the proposed takeover of the Club involving the PIF.

Unfortunately, the Club is unable to make any comment about the arbitration. The EPL Rules provide the entire arbitration process is confidential.

However, both parties can agree for it to be in public. The Club believes it should be.

The issues at stake, including the lawfulness of the EPL’s decision making process and the widely publicised alleged influence of the EPL’s commercial partners on the EPL’s decisions, are of far wider interest to other football clubs, fans and the public in general.

The recent attempted breakaway by some EPL clubs – and the reaction of the government and public to it – has again highlighted the need for transparency and fairness in football governance. Gone are the days when important decisions that affect clubs and their fans should be made secretly, behind closed doors and away from the public eye.

The Club has nothing to hide with respect to the arbitration and invites the EPL to agree that it should no longer be held behind closed doors. If the EPL has acted lawfully and properly, it should have no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight.

To date the EPL has strongly resisted any public scrutiny of its decision-making process. It tried, and failed, to prevent the High Court’s judgment about elements of the arbitration being published last February. It is currently attempting to prevent the competition courts considering a claim by the Club’s sellers from taking place in public, arguing that too should be held in confidential arbitration.

So the Club has invited the EPL to agree – as the claim raises such important issues of sports governance, transparency and openness – that it should be held in public. The Club is prepared for every stage of the process to be in public: the public should be able to see the parties’ evidence and arguments as well as the full decision of the Tribunal when it is made.

The government quite rightly threatened to intervene in reaction to the proposed breakaway from the EPL earlier this year, and the reaction of football fans and the wider public was instrumental in stopping the emergence of the European Super League (ESL).

If the EPL continues to insist that the Club’s claim must be determined behind closed doors, the Club asks that MPs, the government, the media and the general public call on the EPL to finally accept public scrutiny of its decision-making process.’

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