Newcastle United's takeover has been a huge talking point over the last few months.Supporters of the Magpies are waiting with bated breath after news broke two months ago about a prospective £300million deal to buy the club.Amanda Staveley is the figurehead of the Saudi-backed consortium who are said to be leading the charge for the club, but so far there’s been no news of a confirmed deal.The club are currently waiting on a verdict from the Premier League as to whether the £300million deal can go ahead.That decision was delayed while the World Trade Organisation (WTO) investigated whether Saudi Arabia's government has been involved in the illegal streaming of sports events.Saudi Arabia were accused of failing to 'provide adequate protection of intellectual property rights held by or applied for entities based in Qatar'.This relates to the blocking of beIN SPORTS and the Kingdom's links to beoutQ, which simulcasted the Qatar-based channel's broadcasts.According to Chronicle Live, that 125-page report claims that Saudi Arabia had not provided 'criminal procedures and penalties' to tackle pirate pay broadcaster beoutQ.On Wednesday Saudi Arabia took steps to reassure the Premier League over their conduct, however according to The Telegraph's Luke Edwards, their disregard for the severity of the matters has left him feeling concerned.
He tweeted: "Just read latest statement from the KSA about clampdown on piracy... within which it claims all the PL had to do was send an email to the relevant authority and piracy would have stopped (I’m being simplistic) they blocked nine separate attempts by the PL to take legal action.
"This is not good.
"I don’t care if I’m bombarded with abusive messages. Has set an alarm off in my head like nothing before.
"It’s Trumpian in its blatant attempt to rewrite what has happened. The PL know the steps they took. Repeatedly. I’m very worried. Shoot me. I might be wrong."
GIVEMESPORT'S Phil Spencer says...
The takeover of Newcastle United is a hugely complicated situation.
Following the WTO's report on the Saudi government's role in the illegal streaming of sports events, things are cleared up slightly.
That report will be used as a key document in the Premier League's assessment of the Saudi-based consortium's suitability to take over the running of the football club.
This is why the whole thing is taking so long.
A decision from the Premier League is expected this week, and while Luke Edwards has concerns, it still seems likely to go through.