Newcastle United issued the following club statement on Thursday 19 November 2020:

“The club has not previously commented on the arbitration it is entering into against the English Premier League (‘EPL’) in relation to its conduct in relation to the proposed acquisition due to the confidentiality clause in the EPL Rules.

However, the club is aware of public reports stating that on November 17th, EPL referred to legal actions with the club (such as social media posts mentioning “the club’s legal case”) in a letter to Newcastle supporters.

“The source of some of the reports is said to be EPL. Thus, it appears that EPL has leaked the contents of their message to some of those commenting in the public domain.

“ The club understands that these matters will be of great concern to its fans and therefore considers that in light of the information revealed by EPL, they have no choice but to respond and update their fans in response to this coverage.

“The club does not comment on the substance of the arbitration, but can confirm that it has instituted arbitration proceedings against EPL.

“It is unclear when these proceedings will be resolved, given the approach of EPL and its attorney, Bird & Bird. Nevertheless, the club will continue to do its utmost to push for a fair, full and timely hearing on his claim.”