Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley says she was ‘p***ed off’ with the club’s Premier League rivals when they changed the rules on sponsorship deals, claiming they were motivated by fear.
The financier brokered Newcastle’s £305million takeover in 2021, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund taking a majority stake. Shortly after, 18 top-flight rivals voted in new rules on related-party transactions, intended to prevent Newcastle agreeing lucrative commercial deals with Saudi firms.
Under the rules, their recent front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement with Saudi events company Sela - valued at £25m per season - needed to be signed off by the Premier League as fair market value.