Football journalist Miguel Delaney joined Off The Ball to discuss what is holding up the purchase of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian-based consortium, and why it may influence the Premier League's thinking on the matter.
In late April, it seemed almost a formality that the ownership of Newcastle United would change hands between the incumbent Mike Ashley, and a Saudi Arabian-based consortium headed up by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Nevertheless, as journalist Miguel Delaney joined Off The Ball on Wednesday evening, it as yet remains unclear whether or not the move will go ahead at all.
"The Premier League and Newcastle United have found themselves in the middle of what is an economic 'Cold War' between Saudi Arabia and Qatar," he explained, "which has led to this television station, beoutQ, the crudest pirate undermining of the Qatari station, beIN SPORTS."
Where the deal between Ashley and this Saudi Arabian consortium seemed a foregone conclusion not so long ago, the issue of pirated television has upset a fundamental aspect of the Premier League's money-making capabilities.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley"The Premier League have exhausted every avenue trying to take action against this," explained Delaney of a situation that has seen their games being illegally shown on the pirated Saudi channel.
"They've gone to the US government, the UK government, they've issued statements and tried to take action nine times in Saudi Arabia but, tellingly, couldn't get a firm to represent them in that case."
As things currently stand, all parties involved are now awaiting a report from the World Trade Organisation regarding Saudi Arabia's breach of international law.
"If, as everyone expects, the WTO rules that the Saudi Arabian state is behind this pirated channel," he outlined, "it would put any Premier League decision made before then in a tricky decision.
"There is so much wrapped up in this because if you look at what the Premier League is beyond the football, it has been stripped down to essentially become a rights-selling business.
"That is why it is so successful and has made so much money, but that is all it is. When it comes to protecting copyright and shutting down streams though, they're very strong on these issues.
"For the sanction of a deal to go through, however, where a state has been behind this pirate station, it would cause a lot of problems and it would change relationships and potentially lessen the value of rights in the future.
"The Premier League's decision on this could well dictate the next couple of years and the potential expansion of the Premier League given how key international rights are to what they do."
A football journalist with the UK's Independent newspaper, Miguel Delaney has written extensively on the human rights issues that he believes ought to serve as the primary cause for concern here.
"This is much more nakedly a state project," he explained of the Saudi-based takeover in comparison to the ownership model adopted at Manchester City in an earlier conversation with Off The Ball, "which should raise so many more questions.
"It is incredible that the Premier League doesn't really have any sort of protection so states can come in and buy clubs. That very concept is so absurd and poses so many troubling questions, particularly when it is a state like Saudi Arabia.
"If you want to draw a direct link of what we're talking about here, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) are going to own 80% of Newcastle United. The PIF is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and not too long ago the US Senate passed a resolution holding MBS responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
"That's before you get to all the various issues about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and what they plan to do with Newcastle United."
You can watch back Miguel Delaney in discussion with Off The Ball in full here.
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