Newcastle chairman Yasir Al Rumayyan is described as 'a sitting minister of the Saudi government' in a document submitted to a court in the United States, raising fresh questions over the level of separation between the club's ownership and the Saudi state.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought a controlling stake in Newcastle in October 2021, but the deal was only given the green light after the Premier League received 'legally-binding assurances' that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would not have any control over the club.
However, the PIF is challenging an order to produce documents in a US lawsuit involving the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, arguing the fund itself and its governor Al Rumayyan 'are not ordinary third parties'.