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PIF sports funding

League Wan said:
Aye they've called Chelsea and man city cheats, and small clubs that have only won because of the money for years . major backtracking when they thought they were doing the same.
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They always want both sides. They always try to make themselves out as the plucky underdog who we should all get behind against the cartel. While at the same time desperately trying to be in the ‘cartel’ while shitting on other clubs fans about how superior they are. Major identity crisis, which is expected when the clubs identity has been stripped away
 

Geras said:
They want to think themselves lucky the council own the land , otherwise the saudis could very easily scorch earth on the way out .
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It's a minor technicality but The Freemen of Newcastle actually own the freehold land under the stadium. The financial management of the asset is divested to the city council though. Doesn't alter what you're saying, which is absolutely correct. There's been insinuation that the Saudi's tentacles have reach into the council now, who've been cap in hand to them. This could end up being bad for nufc.

Selling the leasehold of the shit tip to a separate holding company, leaves the visitors "spiritual home" entirely vulnerable to the strategic whims of a foreign investment fund. Imagine Ashley put that deal through. The whoppers seem to be just sleep walking through all this. Mouthing off about record income when they are making record losses. Massive Uefa fine will be incoming, consequently. What's the old saying, Turnover is for vanity, Profit is for sanity.
 
The Black Sock said:
Just been watching this on SS News. Although they were on about LIV golf it was mentioned they would be scaling back on all overseas sporting investments.
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There have been rumours for months now that came around the boxing that they’d stopped tossing absolute silly money around and were now starting to treat it like a normal business. The mags won’t cost them what they’d been hoping at sports like boxing but also are they seeing much return. At least with the boxing they’ve been able to tie it more to tourism and the ryhad season. The mags have almost been a shhhhhhrhey not really Saudi blood money state owned but are wink wink. I honestly think if by next season their next round of money and new manager does nowt they’ll look to move them on served their purpose and not worth the investment anymore.
 
Hot Since 82 said:
It's a minor technicality but The Freemen of Newcastle actually own the freehold land under the stadium. The financial management of the asset is divested to the city council though. Doesn't alter what you're saying, which is absolutely correct. There's been insinuation that the Saudi's tentacles have reach into the council now, who've been cap in hand to them. This could end up being bad for nufc.
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It would be a brave and/or very corrupt person who'd facilitate that deal.

I can't see it somehow... but we can live in hope
Hot Since 82 said:
Selling the leasehold of the shit tip to a separate holding company, leaves the visitors "spiritual home" entirely vulnerable to the strategic whims of a foreign investment fund. Imagine Ashley put that deal through. The whoppers seem to be just sleep walking through all this. Mouthing off about record income when they are making record losses. Massive Uefa fine will be incoming, consequently. What's the old saying, Turnover is for vanity, Profit is for sanity.
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- Player sales
- Stadium uncertainty
- Training ground issues

Could be an interesting summer for the gravy spattered masses
 
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Mackemansj1 said:
There have been rumours for months now that came around the boxing that they’d stopped tossing absolute silly money around and were now starting to treat it like a normal business. The mags won’t cost them what they’d been hoping at sports like boxing but also are they seeing much return. At least with the boxing they’ve been able to tie it more to tourism and the ryhad season. The mags have almost been a shhhhhhrhey not really Saudi blood money state owned but are wink wink. I honestly think if by next season their next round of money and new manager does nowt they’ll look to move them on served their purpose and not worth the investment anymore.
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The very fact that the investment in the visitors to date is so small by comparison to everything else PIF does might work against the club. Insofar as there will be hundreds if not thousands of much bigger and more important priority investments. The visitors can be almost forgotten about, mentioned in passing once a year, oh yeah we've got a seat in the premier league through that thing we paid 20 bob for.
 
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Mackemansj1 said:
There have been rumours for months now that came around the boxing that they’d stopped tossing absolute silly money around and were now starting to treat it like a normal business. The mags won’t cost them what they’d been hoping at sports like boxing but also are they seeing much return. At least with the boxing they’ve been able to tie it more to tourism and the ryhad season. The mags have almost been a shhhhhhrhey not really Saudi blood money state owned but are wink wink. I honestly think if by next season their next round of money and new manager does nowt they’ll look to move them on served their purpose and not worth the investment anymore.
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The ‘return’ on Newcastle has been huge and, in my opinion, exactly what toe long term plan / hope was.
They have the ear of FIFA and the World Cup. Job done. They would make a profit on the purchase price of the club. Probably wouldn’t get all the outlay back, of course. The delta, in the event they sold up would be worth it as a ‘purchase price’ for what they have now ‘achieved’. Sell up and sod off would be ideal now.
 
Biffo The Bear said:
The ‘return’ on Newcastle has been huge and, in my opinion, exactly what toe long term plan / hope was.
They have the ear of FIFA and the World Cup. Job done. They would make a profit on the purchase price of the club. Probably wouldn’t get all the outlay back, of course. The delta, in the event they sold up would be worth it as a ‘purchase price’ for what they have now ‘achieved’. Sell up and sod off would be ideal now.
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Newcastle didn’t get them the World Cup man. You’re grasping massively
 
Hot Since 82 said:
The very fact that the investment in the visitors to date is so small by comparison to everything else PIF does might work against the club. Insofar as there will be hundreds if not thousands of much bigger and more important priority investments. The visitors can be almost forgotten about, mentioned in passing once a year, oh yeah we've got a seat in the premier league through that thing we paid 20 bob for.
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They've got a manager who's twitching

A DoF who's going to have to sell star players

A CEO who's managed to take them backwards in his first season.

An ownership who couldn't locate them on a map

What other joys can they expect on this sea of wonders their gravy boat sails..?
 
chunkyshanhawk53 said:
Newcastle didn’t get them the World Cup man. You’re grasping massively
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What did it get them then?
They certainly aren’t daft enough to think, within this timescale, there were going to be lording it over European dominance.
Mowgli said:
Huge in their own minds as usual. Biffo pretends to be appalled by the Saudis but loves it really.
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Oh no!!
You found me out. I am typing whilst decked out in my Black & White dish dash 😂
 
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The Black Sock said:
Just been watching this on SS News. Although they were on about LIV golf it was mentioned they would be scaling back on all overseas sporting investments.
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There is a big difference between Newcastle and LIV.

It’s estimated that PIF have ‘invested’ ~£550m in Newcastle (including the purchase costs). As a result of that investment, they own an asset that they could sell and potentially recoup their money. Plus Newcastle are building the brands (through sponsorship) of other companies owned by PIF, such as Sela. Effectively PIF aren’t really ‘losing’ money with their ownership of Newcastle.

LIV is very different. It’s estimated that PIF have ‘invested’ ~$5bn (that’s 10x their Newcastle investment) into LIV, and they are getting very little back. It’s hasn’t taken off commercially, and nobody is going to buy it off them. As soon as they stop financing LIV, LIV will cease to exist, so they are losing vast sums of money with it.

My guess is that PIF will not support LIV beyond any current deal that they have. Whilst, I think that after the Saudi WC, PIF will sell a majority stake in Newcastle to the Reuben brothers and continue as a small partner and major sponsor. In reality that could unfortunately be ‘perfect’ for Newcastle - the Reuben brothers are 2 of the richest men in England (estimated wealth of >£25bn), while PIF companies can pump additional money into the club as sponsors.
 
chunkyshanhawk53 said:
A sportswashing asset. It’s quite clear how that’s worked, “we” dont talk about it anymore.

It definitely had nowt to do with the World Cup man
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Ok then. Their buying Newcastle, as a sportwashing vehicle, had no bearing on their being awarded the World Cup.
Fair enough. I shall stand corrected.
Are they now legitimised to the point they no longer require the sportswashing vehicle?
 
The Saudi's wanted to buy a premier league club for 2 reasons imo :
1) Sportswashing - boost their reputation (part of this plan meant buying their way to the top which they now realise is not possible)
2) To get a seat at the top tables to force through their world cup bid (now achieved)

There's nothing left to gain for the Saudi's by holding on to Newcastle as a premier league club is a financial drain that required hundreds of millions per year just to hold value. Their new strategy is all about profiteering and growing their own country. Newcastle United does not benefit either of those goals. Same way that LIV Golf no longer suits where they're pulling the plug.

At this point the saudi's will either be strategically thinking about how they sell Newcastle and clawback some money. Or, they scale back the running costs and hope to allow the club to operate as a steady mid table premier league side without the pressing need for huge investment. This will require more strategic thinking though, which would tie in with their new CEO's comments about having to shop smarter in the transfer window and acquiring players with resale value. This suggests to me they are already part way down that road.

The days of breaking in to the champions league places and kicking on are long gone imo. The very best they can hope for year on year is to pinch a europa league place as the investment wont be there to be champions league regulars.

The problem PIF will have now is the fans think they are striving to win the league and expect regular champions league football. This was always the risk with that fan base. First taste of relative success and it will become an expectation.

This summer will be really telling as to how much interest Saudi's have in on the pitch activites. Tonali will be away, Gordon now heavily linked with Bayern with rumours mags have "left the door open". How will they reinvest that money? And will the mags be happy if they decide to buy a number of cheaper unknown players (like we did with Sadiki, Roefs etc). I suspect not...
 
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