April 21 – Newcastle United and their Saudi owners, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), have reportedly expressed interest in buying Belgian club KV Oostende, recently relegated from the top flight.
A delegation from Tyneside visited the seaside club as Newcastle United explores options to find partner clubs. In 2020, Paul Conway took ownership of Oostende, but the club’s fortunes haven’t improved.
In 2020, the Belgian FA (KBVB) withdrew Oostende’s professional license. The following year, the club lost €4 million followed by a deficit of €5.2 million for the 2022 financial year.
A potential takeover could pave the way for Newcastle United to develop a multi-club ownership structure, a growing trend in the game with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin recently indicating that the governing body would be open to clubs with the same owners competing against each other in continental competitions.
Belgian clubs are popular with foreign investors because of the relaxed regulation and low minimum salaries. Manchester City and the City Football Group own Lommel in 1B. In the top flight, QSI from Qatar owns Eupen, King Power from Thailand and owner of Leicester City, acquired OH Leuven, and Malaysia’s Vincent Tan owns Kortrijk among others.
Newcastle United and PIF wouldn’t be the first Saudi owners in Belgian football. Prince Abdullah bin Musad Al Saud has a majority stake in Antwerp-based club Beerschot.
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