Soccer

Emails reveal UK Government involvement in Newcastle United takeover

Fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, through BBC, pleaded for the takeover to be blocked in April 2020.

By Colman Dsouza
Image Courtesy : The Athletic

The British government considered the possible failure of the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United to be an “immediate risk” to the United Kingdom’s relationship with the Gulf nation, an investigation by The Athletic has revealed.

Adam Crafton reports that then-prime minister Boris Johnson’s chief strategic advisor even sought a “senior interlocutor” to represent the government’s interests” in the Premier League. Internal foreign office emails even go so far as to flag up an interview by legal reps of the grieving fiancée of journalist Jamal Khashoggi when she pleaded on the BBC for the takeover to be blocked in April 2020. Boris Johnson refused to comment on the latest revelations.
The previous former government insisted “no pressure was applied” during the takeover negotiations. Meanwhile, the former Prime Minister told Parliament in 2021: “These are commercial matters for the parties concerned. The government was not involved in the takeover talks for Newcastle United sale.”

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Colman Dsouza

Colman Dsouza is a graduate in Journalism - Mass Media. He is a media enthusiast with strong communication and content writing skills. Colman is currently working as a journalist at BusinessUpturn.com and can be contacted at [email protected]

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