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New legal documents have been passed to the Premier League over the past 24 hours raising new questions about whether the controversial £ 300 million Saudi Arabia-funded acquisition of Newcastle United should get the go-ahead, The Guardian may reveal.
Premier League lawyers are understood to be reviewing information that is said to establish a strong link between the Saudi government and a homegrown pirated television and broadcast service offering illegal access to sporting events, including English football, Wimbledon and the Six Nations, on BeoutQ platform.
The new evidence means that any decision to approve the acquisition of Newcastle by a consortium involving the Saudi Arabian public investment fund Reuben Brothers and Amanda Staveley, which was expected in a few days, will be delayed.
The Premier League will examine the information to see if it questions whether the consortium passes the test of its owners and directors, establishing that digital piracy is prohibited.
Potential Saudi majority owners of Newcastle have denied any link to BeoutQ piracy. The Premier League test says applicants should not provide “false, misleading, or inaccurate information.”
Saudi Arabia has previously claimed that BeoutQ originated in Cuba and Colombia. However, in January, the Gulf state was named in a European Commission report for its failure to crack down on the platform.
Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League and La Liga are among the sports bodies that have attempted to take legal action to shut down the platform in Saudi Arabia, but nine local law firms have refused to take on the copyright case.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia remains on a “Priority Watch List” of the United States government as one of the “notorious markets for counterfeiting and piracy.”
Recently, BeIN CEO Yousef al-Obaidly wrote to the Premier League and its clubs warning of the “danger of allowing the takeover” given what he identified as Saudi Arabia’s direct role in the “illegal actions of BeoutQ and its direct impact on commercial interests. ” of the Premier League. “
La Liga President Javier Tebas urged the Premier League to consider the “damage” that BeoutQ’s broadcast piracy had caused the sport before deciding on the acquisition of Newcastle.
Amnesty International has also asked the league to consider blocking the acquisition because Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, oversees the fund, saying he has been involved in a “radical crackdown on human rights.”
The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by The Guardian. Sources close to the deal continue to maintain that they remain “very optimistic” of a confirmation this week and claim that restarting the project is the only possible delay factor.
