The Premier League has always been about money and clubs looking out for themselves and nobody else, so it’s always interesting to watch when a huge threat comes along that forces them to work together.
Newcastle’s new Saudi owners have the financial power to turn them into title contenders and they could become a new force in the country over time, so it’s not a great surprise to see the other clubs doing all they can to limit them.
The Guardian have reported that 18 of the 20 Premier League sides have voted to block any sponsorship deals going through – something that could’ve been a very lucrative source of income for Newcastle ahead of the January transfer window.
Man City were the only club to not back the proposal as they abstained, but City’s current status is because they had similar ownership who threw obscene amounts of money at the club so perhaps they didn’t want to appear hypocritical when it came to this decision.
It’s a tough one for Newcastle fans as they could finally have a competitive team on their hands, but it does come at the cost of essentially being used as a propaganda tool by a regime with a horrific human rights record, while it’s also clear that the other clubs will look to block them at every available opportunity.
It also appears that Financial Fair Play is now a thing of the past as that would limit what they could spend, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks.