FT Scoreboard

The Newcastle United takeover: a far from straightforward deal

The £305m takeover of Newcastle United in a deal led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has been seen as a blessing by many of the club’s fans. But as Arash Massoudi reports, concerns over Saudi Arabia’s alleged involvement with a pirate TV network and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, plus its blockade of Qatar’s BeIN Sports, mean the takeover has hardly been straightforward.

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