By Tom Degun
May 28 – Newcastle United have banned the Mail on Sunday as well as sister paper The Daily Mail from after the Sunday paper published details of Lord Triesman’s secretly recorded conversation which led to him being forced to step down as chairman of England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup.
In a taped-recorded conversation with Melissa Jacobs, a civil servant he employed as a private secretary when he was a Minister at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Triesman made a series of explosive allegations about rival bidders Russia and Spain in a story published on the front page the Mail on Sunday earlier this month.
As well as suspending the two papers from their club, the newly-crowned Championship title winners Newcastle have also written to the chairmen of all of the Premier League clubs calling for them to ban reporters from two newspapers.
Newcastle had actually already banned the Daily Mail from all their matches and press conferences from the club last season following, what they claimed, was their “irresponsible” coverage of the club and had been considering a request from the paper for the ban to be revoked before the Mail on Sunday published their Triesman story, which also forced him to step down as chairman of the Football Association.
The club said in a statement: “Last season, Newcastle United Football Club banned the reporters of the Daily Mail from all games, the training ground, and from all press conferences.
“This decision had been reluctantly taken after repeated irresponsible press coverage.
“The Daily Mail have recently made approaches through the Association of Editors for the ban to be reviewed.
“Newcastle United Football Club were considering that request when the Mail on Sunday decided to publish its disgraceful story about Lord Triesman.
“That story was not in the best interest of English football and has had enormous adverse repercussions already with regard to the 2018 World Cup bid.
“Newcastle United Football Club supports the stance taken by Gary Lineker who has ceased to provide a column for the newspaper and has been outspoken in his criticism.
“The Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, will be unwelcome at Newcastle United for the foreseeable future.
“The club has also written to the Premier League and all other Premier League chairmen, asking for their support in Newcastle’s stance against these publications.”
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