Newcastle's £300m takeover in jeopardy as Saudi Arabia bans beIN Sports over Qatar row

The Newcastle takeover deal was cast into further uncertainty after Saudi Arabia permanently banned the Premier League’s Qatar-based Middle East broadcast partner from operating in the country. A Saudi-led consortium has been attempting to buy the Premier League club from Mike Ashley for a reported £300m. The Newcastle takeover deal was only a few steps away from completion with the Premier League conducting its final owners' and directors' test but a new problem has arisen with the broadcasting rights in Saudi Arabia.

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Newcastle takeover deal: Saudi Arabia ban beIN Sports from the kingdom

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian government permanently barred beIN Sports from operating in the kingdom. BeIN’s £500m deal with the Premier League runs until 2022 and reports claim that there is no legal way for anyone in Saudi Arabia to watch Premier League matches until then. The Newcastle United takeover deal now appears to be caught up between the bitter cold war between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 

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In April, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed on a £300m deal with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley for purchasing the Magpies. Since then, there have been numerous accusations that Saudi Arabia was behind the widespread illegal streaming of beIN Sports’ transmissions across their country. The World Trade Organisation also ruled that “prominent Saudi nationals” promoted illegal broadcasting of games by the pirate network ironically named 'beoutQ'.

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Despite the chaos around the Newcastle takeover, hopes were raised last month when Saudi Arabia announced an anti-piracy crackdown throughout the state. The Premier League has been considering whether or not to approve the Newcastle takeover deal for the past 16 weeks as the saga rumbles on. However, in a new twist, Saudi’s General Authority for Competition has imposed a £2.1 million fine on beIN Sports for "abusing their dominant position through several monopolistic practices".

In response, a furious beIN Sports claimed that the decision to ban their broadcast in Saudi Arabia was “nonsensical” and “arrived at through fraudulent legal proceedings”. The organisation also questioned how Saudi Arabian citizens will be able to watch Premier League games with the permanent ban on the Premier League’s licensed broadcaster which is beIN Sports. The Premier League is bound to take a decision over the Newcastle takeover soon and the banning of beIN Sports might be frowned upon by the officials in the English top flight.

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Image Credits - Nufc.co.uk / AP