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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Exclusive by David Conn and Lucas Amin

UNCOVERED: Documents reveal tory minister s push to smooth saudi newcastle takeover | History Defined

Gerry Grimstone Newcastle EPL Newcastle United PIF Neil Crompton DIT KSA Richard Masters Saudi Arabia
Newcastle fans wave flags at St James’ Park before the club’s game against Manchester City last month.
Newcastle fans wave flags at St James’ Park before the club’s game against Manchester City last month. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar

The UK government’s extensive efforts to facilitate the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United have been further exposed by documents, released by the Department for International Trade in response to a freedom of information request by openDemocracy. They show that a minister promised the Premier League he would secure a response to a proposed “way forward” from “the highest levels of the Saudi government”.

Lord Gerry Grimstone, then minister for investment, asked the then Premier League chairman, Gary Hoffman, in August 2020 to share the league’s legal advice on “a way forward” for the stalled takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), the documents reveal.

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