FIANCEE OF MURDERED JOURNALIST JAMAL KHASHOGGI URGES PREMIER LEAGUE TO STOP SAUDI TAKEOVER OF NEWCASTLE UNITED

The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi has asked the Premier League to prevent the Saudi Arabian takeover of Newcastle United because of allegations the state was involved in the murder of the journalist in 2018.

With a consortium from the Gulf nation edging closer to purchasing the Premier League club in a £300 million ($374m) deal, Hatice Cengiz - via her solicitors - sent a letter to the competition's governing body asking that it takes the "right, proper and lawful action" to stop the takeover because of the alleged "cover-up" regarding Khashoggi's death in 2018.

Saudi-born journalist Khashoggi was murdered inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey after going into the government office to pick up documents pertaining to his future marriage with Cengiz.

After initially denying any Saudi involvement in his death, in December 2019 five government officials were sentenced to death in a trial in the Middle Eastern country.

However, the judgement was criticised by Amnesty International as a "whitewash" that avoided implicating Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Khashoggi's former partner has attempted to intervene in an effort to draw attention to allegations against the state.

"Ms Cengiz urges you and the board of the Premier League to take all necessary steps to prevent this takeover from happening," the letter addressed to Premier League chief Richard Masters read.

"It is undoubtedly the right, proper and lawful action for you and the Premier League to take especially in light of the ruthless killing of Ms Cengiz’s fiance.

"There should be no place in the Premier League, and English football, for anyone involved in such abhorrent acts.

"It would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Premier League Chairmen’s Charter and the Rules of the Premier League, and the fundamental and honourable principles upon which they are based."

The Saudi consortium close to purchasing Newcastle - Public Investment Fund (PIF) - is controlled by the Gulf nation's de facto ruler Bin Salman.

In a separate statement made via Twitter last week, Cengiz demanded the Premier League intervenes in the potential takeover to keep the Saudi leader out of sports in the United Kingdom.

"UK authorities and the Premiere League (sic) should not allow someone like Mohammed bin Salman, who has yet to face any accountability for the murder of my late fiancé, Jamal Khashoggi, to be so involved in sports in the UK," Cengiz said in the statement .

"Doing otherwise will greatly stain the reputation of the Premiere League and the UK. Mohammed bin Salman is strategically using international sports to repair his badly damaged reputation after the murder of Jamal.