Keith Wyness hits out over government controversy at Newcastle - 'I hate it'
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Everton's former chief Keith Wyness has insisted talk of an independent football regulator questioning the ownership at Newcastle is just “posturing from politicians”.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed there would be “hell to pay” if the government interfered at St James’ Park.
Speaking in the House of Lords on 18 December (as reported in The Times), Labour peer Baroness Twycross – who is overseeing the Football Governance Bill – controversially claimed Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would have to pass through the independent football regulator's owners' test.
It is understood the Labour minister later passed on a handwritten note saying she would have to clarify that position as she left the chamber.
Bin Salman is the chairman of his country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the majority owner of Newcastle after their £305million takeover in October 2021.
The Football Governance Bill was initially introduced under the previous Conservative government and Labour has said it will “protect football clubs” by “ensuring their financial sustainability”.
Newcastle speculation is ‘posturing from politicians’, says Wyness
Wyness told Football Insider's Insider Track podcast: "It's posturing from politicians.
"I hate politics becoming involved in football. I've been saying this my whole career, I don't like it because they get involved around election time.
"The decision has been taken around the Saudi ownership at Newcastle, the time to question it was then.
"There's no reason why a regulator should go back and retrospectively and look at ownership situations.
"There'd be hell to pay if a Labour politician were to get involved in that way.
"This is one thing where I had sympathy for Richard Masters, because he said a regulator would have unintended consequences.
"This is one example. If they went back and asked the Crown Prince to undergo an ownership test, there could be tit-for-tat trade issues between Saudi and the UK.
"In this case, I think the regulator should stick to what they should be doing in terms of domestic affairs."
In other news, Eddie Howe issues Sandro Tonali transfer demand to Newcastle.
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The post Keith Wyness hits out over government controversy at Newcastle - 'I hate it' appeared first on Football Insider.
