The last 24 hours have been a rollercoaster ride in the Newcastle United takeover saga, and not for the first time, it leaves the situation with endless possibilities.
Richard Keys, the Tv Presenter for BeInSports, made a huge claim on Monday that the Premier League will give their nod to the Newcastle takeover within this week.
We all know that the issue of piracy is the major stumbling block for the takeover to go through. BeIN SPORTS are the official partner of the Premier League and they are losing wealth following an unprecedented scale of piracy via satellite TV beoutQ.
Craig Hope of The Daily Mail tweeted yesterday that the Premier League are expected to deliver the verdict in favour of the potential Newcastle owners shortly.
But then the takeover saga has taken a complete twist after the Saudi Arabian government has permanently barred the Premier League’s Qatar-based Middle East broadcast partner from operating in the kingdom.
According to reports from The Guardian, BeIN’s £500m deal with the Premier League runs until 2022 and there is now no legal way for anyone in Saudi Arabia to watch the world’s most popular football league till then.
They’ve also fined them 10 million riyals (equivalent to around £2.14 million) for violations of Saudi competition law.
Matt Slater of The Athletic has claimed on Twitter that the Saudis have taken a wrong step. They have done exactly the opposite of what they should be doing.
However, The Shields Gazette has provided a fascinating insight into the latest tv deal complexity.
They claim that the Saudis want to end all ties with BeinSports and would be looking to buy the rights to broadcast the Premier League in their own territory, especially as they embark on the purchase of Newcastle United.
The report claims that Saudi Telecom Company are the frontrunners to buy out the share of the Premier League deal struck by BeIN, and they are also keen to buy out the rights for the whole region, outbidding BeIN, if that is what is required.
Many Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to express their reactions. Here are some of the selected tweets:
They want Saudi TV showing PL football in the kingdom. Not via a Qatar-based company.
— Liam Kennedy (@LiamJKennedy23) July 14, 2020
You know….this is just a hunch but……..
I don’t think these boys are going to settle for mid table…#NUFCTakeover
— SHADES OF 96 (@ShadesOf96) July 14, 2020
Seems to me that this stand to make the league a lot more money and kill piracy in the process too. If people at the league have a single brain cell between then yes they should do.
— James griffiths (@Jamesgr03407364) July 14, 2020
This makes sense now with Richard Keys comments. He seemed defeated, like he knew something like this had happened. BeIN now out of SA, and SA now with full control of PL rights. Seems like a win win to me. Next up, deal is agreed!
— George (@GeBo84) July 14, 2020
He will still have a job,how long is the question though.
This is the first part of MENA breaking up? If other countries follow Saudi,Bein will be left with very little,especially if they lose the rights when the TV right come up for grabs next year— zapaz (@zapaz66) July 14, 2020
I’m assuming they’d be able to have contract negotiations because they own the right to their country. The contract can’t be fulfilled since Bein is now terminated in SA. Nobody can sell other countries rights
— Jordan Wade (@LionLien5984) July 14, 2020
If Saudi get their foot in the door, you can almost be certain they’ll be pushing for ME exclusivity when BeIn’s contract is up. At worst they’ll want to be the main distributors.
— Matthew (@JB4t00n) July 14, 2020
If true, this would be a very positive development.
— g (@Gtkunstman) July 14, 2020
