THE fiancee of murdered Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged Premier League chiefs to block the Newcastle takeover.
A £300million Saudi-backed buyout from Mike Ashley is nearly done, with the league conducting their owners and directors’ test.
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz warned the deal would ‘greatly stain’ the Premier League’s image and Britain’s reputation
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden – who also confirmed the Premier League could be shown on free-to-view TV – said the Government will stand back and let the Prem decide.
But a day after Amnesty International expressed concerns over the Gulf state’s human rights record, Khashoggi’s fiancee Hatice Cengiz warned the deal would ‘greatly stain’ the Premier League’s image and Britain’s reputation.
US-based Khashoggi — a critic of the Saudi government — was murdered inside the country’s consulate in Turkey in 2018.
Cengiz accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — who chairs the wealth fund buying the Toon — of ‘strategically using international sports to repair his badly-damaged reputation’.
She said: “UK authorities and the Premier League should not allow someone like Bin Salman, who has yet to face any accountability for the murder of my late fiance, to be so involved in sports in the UK.
“Doing otherwise will greatly stain the reputation of the Premier League and the UK.
“The UN and the CIA concluded Bin Salman ordered Jamal’s murder.
“I strongly urge UK authorities and the Premier League to intervene to stop the takeover of Newcastle United.”
Sports Direct supremo Ashley agreed to sell Newcastle to a consortium backed by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund.
And it looks like the Government will not step in after Tory MP Dowden said: “The fit and proper person test is undertaken by the Premier League and I don’t want to prejudge the process.
“I’m content they should carry out that test.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
