As the takeover saga drags on, Mike Ashley remains the owner of Newcastle United.
Despite agreeing a deal to sell the club in April 2020, the Sports Direct man still holds the keys at St James’ Park.
It’s not for lack of trying though. Since the deal collapsed, Ashley has launched two legal challenges against the Premier League as he looks to resurrect the takeover.
We witnessed the CAT hearing on Wednesday, and await news as to whether or not the case will get the green light.
Ashley’s other, and main, legal avenue is arbitration, which will begin on January 3rd. A win there will give Newcastle the takeover they want, providing there is still a deal to be done.
On Wednesday, the Premier League argued that there was no need for the CAT case, as it overlapped with the arbitration. But the Telegraph have provided some insight on why Ashley is pursuing anti-competition action.
What Mike Ashley reportedly wants – as well as the Newcastle takeover
According to the Telegraph, resurrecting the takeover isn’t the Newcastle owner’s only motivation. They report that Ashley wants to embarrass and expose the Premier League.
In a Q&A, the Telegraph wrote: “He wants to make things uncomfortable for them, even if he ends up losing arbitration.”
Even if arbitration doesn’t go our away, Wednesday’s CAT hearing has certainly allowed Newcastle to point the finger at the Premier League in a major way.
In the hearing, the club stated that the Premier League threatened to expel Newcastle from the Premier League, as well as accusing them of being lobbied by BeIN Sport and other top flight clubs.
All the while, the Premier League have hid behind the line ‘no comment’, while Richard Masters claimed to sympathise with Toon fans.
This takeover saga has been incredible, and desperately highlights the need for an independent regulator in football.
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