Newcastle takeover in serious doubt as WTO rules pirate TV channel is Saudi

[Borg Refinery]

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/12/11/uk-government-meetings-saudi-regime-newscastle-united-takeover/

Seems pretty unfair.

I quite liked Barca in the past, but pasts some point in 2014 they seemed to really just become all about money and buying big players; when they acq'd Neymar and Suarez especially, pretty sure before that they were largely homegrown home cultivated as football teams go, and I was quite the fan.

I think football is just too overrun with money and corrupt oligarcs really, and it does spoil the game, the appalling racism as we've seen recently is just a bit much I think from knuckle dragging neanderthals.

[Borg Refinery]

The controversial £300m Saudi Arabia-funded takeover of Newcastle United appears to be in serious doubt after the World Trade Organization ruled that the country is behind a pirate satellite TV and streaming service that offers illegal access to sporting events, the Guardian can reveal.



While the WTO's 130-page final report will not be published until mid-June, it is understood that the independent ruling firmly establishes that the Saudi government is behind beoutQ. It can also be revealed that the Premier League, which received the WTO report this month, made submissions against Saudi Arabia as part of the legal process.



Previously Fifa, Uefa, the Premier League, La Liga and others have tried to take legal action against beoutQ in Saudi Arabia for illegally streaming matches, but nine local legal firms declined to take on the copyright case. Subsequently a case against Saudi Arabia was taken to the WTO, the highest judicial body that could rule on the matter. It has now issued its ruling – finding that Saudi Arabia is in breach of international law as a result of beoutQ.

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/26/newcastle-takeover-in-serious-doubt-as-wto-rules-pirate-tv-channel-is-saudi">https://amp.theguardian.com/football/20 ... l-is-saudi">https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/26/newcastle-takeover-in-serious-doubt-as-wto-rules-pirate-tv-channel-is-saudi



I haven't followed football since 2015 at least, but this doesn't surprise me.



Fifa & the premier league calling out corruption anywhere is hard to take, but an exception can be made for the Saudis, who are arguably the worst in the world. Wouldn't it be better to have some protectionist measures to keep our clubs out of the hands of Saudis, and Russian oligarcs and other clueless rich playboys who see it purely as a money-making venture?



As an aside, this made me laugh



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/people/former-fifa-vice-president-jack-warner-cites-satirical-onion-article-to-attack-us-over-bribery-10288038.html%3Famp">https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indepe ... html%3famp">https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/people/former-fifa-vice-president-jack-warner-cites-satirical-onion-article-to-attack-us-over-bribery-10288038.html%3famp