Newcastle’s Saudi ownership can start signing up sponsors from the kingdom after new English Premier League rules were introduced to end the brief ban on clubs bringing in such deals to potentially inflate income.
After the Saudi state’s sovereign wealth fund took control of Newcastle, a freeze on any clubs signing commercial deals with companies linked to their investors was rushed through temporarily by rivals in October to prevent them being used unfairly to comply with financial regulations.
But Premier League clubs agreed at a meeting yesterday to introduce regulations that mean sponsorships from companies associated with a club’s owners can resume but will have to be approved by the competition’s board.
The Premier League will assess if deals such as jersey sponsorships and stadium naming rights have been negotiated at a fair value that other clubs could expect to generate from similar contracts rather than being inflated.
The northeast club, whose jerseys are sponsored by a Chinese gambling firm, is fighting relegation and can’t sign any players until the January transfer window.
