Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Thu 30 April 2026 10:15, UK

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Yasir Al-Rumayyan will reportedly step down from his role as chairman of LIV Golf, with Newcastle United’s owners expected to pull their funding.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) launched LIV Golf in 2022 as a breakaway league from the US-based PGA Tour.

But the huge names, such as Bryan DeChambeau, who joined the tour for huge sums of money, are now said to be exploring their options.

PIF took over the Magpies in 2021 and has not yet indicated any action of a similar nature at St James’ Park.

But Newcastle chiefs will be left concerned by the LIV Golf developments amid fears that the Premier League club could be left in the lurch.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan step down comes ahead of key Newcastle meeting

Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider last week that the news surrounding LIV Golf is a sign that Newcastle’s owners will not spend aggressively this summer.

The Magpies have been hamstrung by issues with the profit and sustainability rules throughout PIF’s ownership, and those problems do not seem to be going away.

Despite having sold Alexander Isak for a British record £125million last summer, another big sale is reportedly expected in the coming months amid a failure to qualify for European football.

The Athletic reports that PIF chiefs, including Al-Rumayyan, are flying into Newcastle this week for board-level meetings, with discussions on future plans, including Eddie Howe’s job security, set to take place.

The meetings are reportedly taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, so it will be of concern that the news surrounding LIV Golf has emerged at the same time.

Sky Sports News reports that PIF, who have already spent nearly £4bn on LIV Golf, will confirm in an announcement that funding will be pulled and that Al-Rumayyan will resign, with a new strategic plan to seek long-term investors targeted.

Newcastle right to be concerned

While PIF have shown no sign of a willingness to make such a radical decision at Newcastle, the LIV Golf developments raise several questions.

What is going on behind the scenes at PIF? What are the long-term plans for their investments? Will Newcastle be at risk of the same fate going forward?

For now, decision-makers have no choice but to continue with business as usual, despite what is going on elsewhere.

But there is no denying that PIF’s actions have created a feeling of unease around St James’ Park.