Kieran Maguire: Newcastle ‘thrown under the bus’ by confirmed ownership change
The new Premier League Owners’ and Directors’ test is ‘bizarre’ and has thrown Newcastle United under the bus without having any real impact.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the changes to the Premier League’s ownership rules.
As reported by the Daily Mail on Thursday (30 March), the Premier League has added to their Owners’ and Directors’ test by prohibiting those found guilty of human rights abuses from owning clubs or becoming a director.
The report reveals that the new ruling would not have stopped Newcastle’s Saudi-backed takeover last year and also won’t intervene with a potential Qatari takeover at Man United because none of the individuals involved are on the Government’s list of those currently sanctioned for human rights violations.
Maguire believes the new changes are ‘big on headlines but small on impact’ and won’t end up making much difference to the process of purchasing a club.
“The new owners and directors test is big on headlines and small on impact,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“There was zero chance of anyone on the human rights list getting involved with buying a Premier League club.
“It’s a bizarre rule that is everything to do with tokenism.
“The timing of the announcement is no coincidence – it was done 24 hours after the Premier League CEO was given a torrid time about ownership issues.
“After 10 years of silence on these issues, the Premier League has immediately thrown Newcastle United under the bus.
“They want to live up to the illusion that the Premier League has teeth.“
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