Amanda Staveley has boldly claimed that our new regime will be agreeing sponsorship deals “as fast as possible” following the Premier League’s controversial proposals, with her also keen to pull down Sports Direct signs in the coming weeks.
Crisis talks between Richard Masters and the other 19 top flight clubs have been held on the back of of Saudi-led takeover getting the green light last month, with our rivals desperate to stop what they call “artificial revenue” entering our cash flow through the back door.
Fears among Premier League clubs is that Saudi-ran businesses will sponsor Newcastle at an inflated premium to help our club bypass Financial FairPlay regulations, similar to what happened at Man City under their Abu Dhabi owners.
This caused every team apart from the current Champions to agree to an emergency, three-week blockade on all new sponsorship deals, which is set to expire in a fortnight’s time.
Leaks in the press have even claimed that future deals may have to be signed off by the Premier League and, as Newcastle fans, we know exactly how that may play out…
Staveley reiterated her intention yesterday to seek increased sponsorship revenue for Newcastle, with The Telegraph reporting yesterday that a Saudi state airline or tour operator could be one of the major deals secured.
Here’s what he had to say about it all (via The Mail):
“It is in the Premier League’s hands, but we will be seeking to do sponsorship deals as fast as possible.
“The moratorium (temporary prohibition of an activity) does not stop us from working on them, getting ready for that time now. So it is really important.
“Our concern is that the process the Premier League do is quick enough so after we close the moratorium we can get sponsorships out. Obviously that’s a really important part of the process.”
Our new co-owner also shared some good news with Toon fans as she revealed the Sports Direct signs at St James’ Park – the last remnants of the Mine Ashley era – look set to come down soon.
“The Sports Direct signs I’m looking forward to coming down.
“It’s a slight frustration when I go into the stadium and I try and take a picture which doesn’t have Sports Direct in it!”
