If you’re going to be wrong, probably don’t go in two-footed like Simon Jordan did this time four years ago.
The talkSPORT host and former Crystal Palace owner was reflecting on the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United when he was reminded of an infamous comment that the club’s supporters ended up immortalising.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund completed their £300million takeover of the Premier League outfit on October 7, 2021 despite multiple hurdles along the way.
The Middle Eastern country’s ‘concerning’ human rights violations were flagged by Amnesty International and many others, but in the end the Premier League accepted that the state would not run the club.
Yet the real final hurdle before the finish line was Saudi Arabia lifting its ban on beIN SPORTS, the Qatari network and official broadcaster of the top-flight in the Middle East.
A £1billion arbitration case was settled allowing the deal to be finalised, an eventuality Jordan didn’t see coming.
What did Simon Jordan say about the Newcastle takeover?
Speaking at the time, he said: “This idea that Newcastle is going to get bought by this PIF fund, this is deader than a dead thing from dead land.
“It’s only the people that want to keep it running for their own motivations, whether that’s Amanda Staveley because she wants to save face for the Horlicks of a deal she’s manufactured, or whether it’s Newcastle fans because they’re wishing and wanting.”
Recalling that fateful day four years later, the British businessman said: “Ten minutes after saying that I got a text that the Saudis have copped to piracy and agreed to pay beIN £1billion in compensation.
“The moment I heard that I said, ‘Oh my God, they’re going to do this deal’.”
Staveley who brokered the deal phoned into talkSPORT shortly after to tell Jordan off, calling his claims about gullible fans ‘absolutely ridiculous’.
The former Palace chairman had that interview played back to him by co-host Jim White and could only laugh.
Jordan could only laugh remembering the moment he realised the deal was about to go throughJordan’s praise for Amanda Staveley
“Well done to Amanda, she’s a hustler and she gets deals done,” he commented.
“Fair play to her. She had a right to put me in my place and that’s what she tried to do.
“At the time I was very solid on why they wouldn’t get through the door because piracy was at the centre of it and the Premier League was having none of it because it was their product that was being hijacked.
“The moment they changed and copped to the piracy, which is what they did, all bets were off and of course I got made to look like a fool.”
Finishing with a final compliment to Staveley and referencing her next venture in north London, he remarked: “She got lucky, but she put herself in the way of being lucky.
“She has a Rolodex that people would die for and that’s why she gets to the centre of deals like Tottenham now and fair play to her.”
Staveley became a legend at Newcastle for getting the deal doneGettySadly for Jordan that wasn’t the only time he was made to regret his comments, as Newcastle fans soon printed him a t-shirt with his quotes across it.
Newcastle fans then had their fun once the deal was done, presenting a giant banner at St. James’ Park which included the words: “TALKSPORT: NUFC TAKEOVER ‘DEADER THAN A DEAD THING FROM DEAD LAND’.”
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