Man Utd in huge Qatari takeover boost with Fifa refusing to ban nation states from owning clubs
FIFA chiefs have NO intention of intervening to prevent nation states buying clubs.
Prem clubs are demanding action from League chief executive Richard Masters about Newcastle’s Saudi overlords.
Court documents in the US revealed lawyers for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Newcastle chairman Yasir al-Rummayan claimed they were both part of the state’s government.
That appeared to fly in the face of the “legally binding assurances” about the control of the club given when the £300m takeover was approved in 2020.
But Sun Sport has been told by senior Fifa figures that there is no reason to expect any moves by world chiefs to intervene.
And in a boost to the Toon Saudis as well as the Qatari bid for Manchester United, Fifa President Gianni Infantino has made it clear he is entirely relaxed about the state ownership debate.
A source close to the Fifa President said: “Gianni has the same view now that he had when he was at Uefa.
“He said then that he believed any investment in football is good, wherever it comes from, provided that it is good investment.
“That position has not changed.
“He is the President of Fifa now and he believes what the game needs is investors, good people who want to put money into football, provided it is good.”
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Infantino’s stance is no real surprise given his close links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
It is believed by many that the Fifa President is actively seeking to aid Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup, although Zurich insists Infantino is entirely neutral on that matter.
But the news may be a relief for the Newcastle leadership especially with Masters feeling plenty of heat from rival club bosses who are demanding some form of action before this month’s next meeting of the Prem’s 20 “shareholders”.