‘Push the envelope!’ - Simon Jordan fury at PIF as Newcastle United officials meet for annual summit
PIF officials have flown into the North East for Newcastle United’s annual summit.
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has questioned whether the Public Investment Fund truly want to catapult Newcastle United into the elite.
In October 2021, the Saudi-backed ownership declared on day one of the new era that the Magpies were heading to the promised land. Undoubtedly, the club’s fortunes have transformed for the better.
No longer are Newcastle embroiled in an annual fight for survival. Champions League qualifications and a trophy were previously viewed as a pipe dream at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United’s measured approach
However, the project has not been the meteoric rise to the top that some predicted. The Magpies - currently 14th in the Premier League - are enduring a season of transition.
Newcastle have treaded carefully under PIF amid a backdrop of Associated Party Transaction rules being introduced to the Premier League. While the Saudis bulldozed their way into boxing and golf, a more measured approach on Tyneside has raised concern.
PIF officials have flown into the North East for an annual summit, with hot topics like Eddie Howe’s future and the St James’ Park plans high on the agenda.
‘Push the envelope’ - Simon Jordan
Ex-Palace chief Jordan has admitted to feeling uninspired by PIF’s relaxed approach at Newcastle. Speaking to talkSPORT, he contrasted how the Saudis have operated to Abu Dhabi and Qatari investment elsewhere.
“You're supposed to be a club with immense wealth,” Jordan said. “They've never turned around and said they're going to buy the world up. But the understanding was that they're in business to be in business. They've got to build a stadium. They've got to push the envelope. They’re not challenging the orthodoxy.
“It makes you question it, doesn't it? You've got the various Middle Eastern consortiums that have various attitudes. The UAE are very aggressive and want to dominate and own sports, as you see with Abu Dhabi and the situation surrounding Manchester City.
“We know the Qataris, after the Arab blockade, wanted to buy a football club in the West and put their footprint down. As a result, they've done it in a league (Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain) that allows it. What are the Saudis doing? They seem to (just) be participating.
“They seem to be spending what they can, but not really pushing the envelope, not going for it, not really challenging the orthodoxy. I know they haven't got hotels and women's teams to sell to be able to subsidise some of the losses that Chelsea have, but they've got creative thinking to be able to generate revenue and really push it.
“They're not, and that's an interesting phenomenon. Is it because, culturally, Saudis don't need to be the best at something, they just want to be involved in it and be influential?
“The LIV (Golf) project was just a vanity play. It had no commercial acumen. It was basically willy-waving of its worst extremes. We're going to make a splash of it, and now we don't fancy it anymore because it doesn't make any commercial sense.”