NEWCASTLE owner Mike Ashley is primed to take legal action against the Premier League after hiring the law firm that helped Manchester City overturn a European ban.
Last week, the furious Newcastle chief blasted Premier League head Richard Masters over the failed Saudi-led takeover.
Mike Ashley is not prepared to give up yet after the prospective Newcastle takeover fell through
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters has found himself on the receiving end of Ashley’s wrath
The deal looked dead and buried after the consortium fronted by Amanda Staveley withdrew their £300million offer in July.
Last Wednesday, Ashley attacked the Premier League for rejecting the deal – who in turn hit back and accused the Sports Direct chief of lying.
And the battle escalated this morning after London firm Blackstone confirmed they are working with Ashley.
They said: “Shaheed Fatima QC and Nick De Marco QC are acting for Newcastle United FC and Mike Ashley (instructed by Dentons) in a dispute with the Premier League about its rejection of a takeover bid made by PCP Capital Partners, the Reuben Brothers and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) based on its Owners and Directors test.”
Blackstone helped Manchester City as they fought Uefa in the Court of Arbitration (CAS) for Sport over the summer to overturn a two-year ban from European club competitions.
Uefa’s Feburary ban came after they ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Player regulations between 2012 and 2016
But in July, CAS confirmed that the club were cleared of “disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions.”
Their fine was cut from 30m euros (£26.9m) to 10m euros.
Amanda Staveley is fronting the consortium that wanted to buy Newcastle
This is the latest chapter of Newcastle’s takeover saga which appeared on the brink of completion during lockdown.
Weeks of speculation followed before the eventual breakdown of the deal.
Reports suggested Newcastle were set for a windfall investment and some of Europe’s biggest names potentially moving to St James Park.
Ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino even became bookmaker’s favourite to be their new manager before it all unravelled.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
