MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2022) Former UK Investment Minister Gerry Grimstone has facilitated the takeover of Premier League football club Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in 2021, newly released documents show, despite the government's claims of non-interference, British media platform openDemocracy reported on Monday.
In October of last year, the PIF bought Newcastle United for 300 million Pounds (about $408 million at the time). The controversial deal was heavily criticized due to Saudi Arabia's record for human rights abuse and piracy of Qatari-owned sports broadcasting rights.
Grimstone, the investment minister at the time, helped secure the takeover, liaising between the Premier League and the Saudi government, according to documents exclusively obtained by openDemocracy from the UK Department for International Trade.
The documents consist of four memos Grimstone sent to British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Neil Crompton and two unnamed government officials concerning the stalled process of takeover, which was a sensitive issue in relations with Saudi Arabia.
In April 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied claims that the government was involved in takeover talks on the sale of Newcastle United.
