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Premier League chief Masters refuses to say if Newcastle ownership being re-examined

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says he cannot comment on whether there is an investigation into who has control of Newcastle.

Speaking to MPs, Masters also stated he couldn't say if the Premier League is re-examining its approval of the club's Saudi takeover.

Newcastle's takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was approved after "legally binding assurances" the Saudi government would not have any control over the club.

However, in a US court case, documents published last month described the PIF as "a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and PIF Governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan as "a sitting minister of the government" with "sovereign immunity".

Masters was asked about the documents by Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee member Clive Efford MP on Tuesday.

"I can't really comment on it," said Masters.

"I mean, even to the point of saying, 'Is the Premier League investigating it?', we can't really comment on it.

"Obviously we are completely aware. And you're correct about the general nature of the undertakings that we received at the point of takeover. But I can't really go into it at all.

"The time when the Premier League comments publicly on regulatory issues is when it's charged, and at the end of the process when an independent panel has decided whether any rule breaches have actually taken place. The investigatory process, we don't talk about at all."

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