Newcastle ‘expulsion’ is on the table after leak investigation – Keith Wyness
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has claimed “expulsion” would be the only recourse if the Premier League investigate leaked WhatsApp messages relating to the Newcastle United takeover.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted the Magpies would only have to prove that PIF are running the club day-to-day, a process which should be straightforward.
Messages leaked by The Telegraph (20 October) show Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, personally controlled the takeover of Newcastle by the state’s sovereign wealth fund (PIF).
The Magpies were eventually sold £305million after the Premier League was given “legally binding assurances” that the PIF was separate from the Saudi state.
Newcastle’s chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, is the governor of PIF and chairman of state-owned petroleum company Saudi Aramco.
Newcastle ‘expulsion’ is unlikely but will be on the table, says Wyness
Wyness insisted he doesn’t expect the Magpies to face any sanction after the leaks.
He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “It’s giving the Premier League another major problem at a time when they do not need it.
“The WhatsApp messages seem to have come from the seller side, someone working with Mike Ashley – from the way it has been written.
“I don’t know why they have been leaked, but the Premier League have egg on their face again.
“There may be an investigation, but I don’t think it’s going to affect anything in a big way.
“I don’t expect Newcastle to face any sanction. The Premier League would have to look at either expulsion of the league, or nothing – and I don’t think we’ll go down the expulsion route.
“Newcastle would only have to prove that PIF is running the club on a day-to-day basis, which they appear to be.”
In other news, Newcastle “dressing room transformed” as shock deal agreed.
For more Newcastle United and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.