Newcastle United owners PIF handed transfer ban by FIFA at Saudi Arabia club

Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr have been placed under a FIFA ban that prevents them from registering new players.

Al Nassr are one of four Saudi Pro League teams 75 per-cent owned by Newcastle United’s majority owners the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Also controlling Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Ahil, PIF has helped fund deals for some of football’s most iconic names such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino and Ruben Neves so far this summer.

Al Nassr were the very first team to get the Saudi revolution underway after signing Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo on a £175million-a-year contract in January. Their latest high-profile addition is Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic from Champions League finalists Inter Milan.

With more players expected to move to the Middle East in the coming weeks and months, Al Nassr may have to sit and watch after being penalised by world football’s governing body FIFA.

FIFA rule that Al Nassr have failed to pay Leicester City as much as £390,000 in add-ons - plus interest - for Ahmed Musa, who they signed in 2018. The 30-year-old Nigerian now plays for Turkish outfit Sivasspor.

Al-Nassr have three transfer windows to pay the fee owed or risk being referred to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. The Daily Mail reports that Al Nassr intend to lift the ban by paying the fee and have intimated that the oversight came before their recent change in structure after the PIF took over.