A Saudi-Arabian backed consortium completed its purchase of Premier League club Newcastle United on Thursday as a long-running takeover saga finally reached a conclusion.
Fourteen months after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew a £305 million bid to buy the north-east club from owner Mike Ashley following the Premier League's failure to give regulatory approval, a deal was announced after a day of mounting excitement on Tyneside.
After the Premier League confirmed the struggling club had been sold to a consortium consisting of PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media with immediate effect, fans began celebrating wildly outside the St James' Park stadium, throwing beer into the air and donning tea towels on their heads.