Newcastle takeover: Full statement from PIF, Amanda Staveley and Reuben Brothers as proposed bid fails

The proposed £300m takeover has fallen through after the bid was withdrawn on Thursday

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has withdrawn its bid to buy Newcastle United after the process was stalled by concerns about piracy by the kingdom and human rights complaints.

The Premier League had been considering whether to approve the £300million takeover that would have seen Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund gain an 80 per cent take in the northeast club for the past four months.

The British-based Reuben brothers and financier Amanda Staveley were planning to each buy the remaining 10 per cent stakes to end the ownership of retail entrepreneur Mike Ashley.

But it has now fallen through with the group confirming the news in a joint statement on Thursday afternoon.

“With a deep appreciation for the Newcastle community and the significance of its football club, we have come to the decision to withdraw our interest in acquiring Newcastle United Football Club,” it read. “We do so with regret, as we were excited and fully committed to invest in the great city of Newcastle and believe we could have returned the club to the position of its history, tradition and fans’ merit.

“Unfortunately, the prolonged process under the current circumstances coupled with global uncertainty has rendered the potential investment no longer commercially viable. To that end, we feel a responsibility to the fans to explain the lack of alternatives from an investment perspective.

“As an autonomous and purely commercial investor, our focus was on building long-term value for the club, its fans and the community as we remained committed to collaboration, practicality and proactivity through a difficult period of global uncertainty and significant challenges for the fans and the club.

“Ultimately, during the unforeseeably prolonged process, the commercial agreement between the Investment Group and the club’s owners expired and our investment thesis could not be sustained, particularly with no clarity as to the circumstances under which the next season will start and the new norms that will arise for matches, training and other activities.

“As often occurs with proposed investments in uncertain periods, time itself became an enemy of the transaction, particularly during this difficult phase marked by the many real challenges facing us all from Covid-19

“We feel great compassion for the Newcastle United fans with whom we shared a great commitment to help Newcastle United harness its tremendous potential and build upon its impressive and historic legacy while working closely with the local community.

“We would like to say that we truly appreciated your incredible expressions of support and your patience throughout this process. We are sorry it is not to be. We wish the team and everyone associated with it much good luck and success.”