Several club executives, speaking anonymously to
The Athletic, criticised
Newcastle’s new owners — whether a representative of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns 80 per cent of the club, or 10 per cent shareholders PCP Capital Partners and the Reuben brothers — for not attending the meeting and sending Charnley instead.
“They just didn’t turn up, except for Lee, who sat there and read a statement like he was at a German wedding,” a source said.
“Poor old Lee, put in an impossible position, like a puppet,” said another. “Absolutely unbelievable.”
There was disbelief that none of Newcastle’s new buyers were at the meeting, be it in person, like around 80 per cent of attendees, or via Zoom, and widespread sympathy for Charnley.
“We all like Lee,” a well-placed figure reflected. “He’s Mike Ashley’s man and sending your outgoing CEO to make legal threats to the rest of the league is not great.
“If I’d been advising Newcastle, I’d have told them, ‘Vote for this and then wait and see what comes back… make the rules evolve in a way you want further down the line, but don’t threaten people’.”
“They (Newcastle’s new owners) just needed to turn up to the meeting, sit down and talk it through,” said another executive. “There was no need for all of this.”
Executives were surprised to see Newcastle’s new owners, including Amanda Staveley, were not at Monday’s meeting in London (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
Although Palace’s Parish led calls for the vote to be held, it is understood
Arsenal,
Tottenham Hotspur,
Everton and
Aston Villa were also vehemently in favour of putting a temporary ban on related-party sponsorships in place.
“Everybody is so emotional about it,” an executive said. “(Alan Pace) at
Burnley is up in arms. He’s so agitated it’s been allowed to happen.”