Newcastle received humongous £60m August investment from PIF

According to information reviewed by Matt Slater and Ali Rampling of The Athletic, an additional £60 million infusion was directed into Newcastle United, marking the fifth tranche of equity funding poured into the club since the club was taken over by Saudi Arabia’s PIF in 2021.

According to official documents filed with Companies House on August 22, this latest contribution takes the form of “£60 million worth of newly allocated shares” issued by Newcastle’s parent company, PZ Newco Ltd. Cumulatively. This new investment “elevates the total capital injected into the club since the takeover to £571 million.”

Across five different investments, equity shares amounting to £266 million have been infused into the club since the takeover, comprising £38 million in November 2021, £40 million in January 2022, £70 million in October 2022, £57 million in February 2023, and the most recent infusion of £60 million this past month of August.

So far, Newcastle has used these financial injections to undergo additional expenditures related to player transfers and operational costs. However, it is noteworthy that these investments are not recognized as football revenue for the purposes of Financial Fair Play (FFP) compliance.

This development coincides with a broader context wherein prominent Premier League clubs have beseeched the government to implement measures prohibiting nation-states from acquiring ownership stakes in English football teams, as reported by The Guardian on Thursday, Sept.7.

This request may potentially be incorporated into the mandate of an upcoming independent football regulator, as the government has confirmed its impending establishment, contingent upon parliamentary scheduling.

The announcement of the investment by NUFC and the request by the EPL club to the government arrives at the culmination of a consultation process involving stakeholders in English football, with sources indicating that several elite top-flight clubs seized the opportunity to individually advocate for governmental intervention in cases of state ownership, a course of action distinct from formal Premier League submissions.