THE Premier League was urged to look again at Saudi Arabia’s horrendous record on human rights today as the settling of a commercial dispute cleared the way for a Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United.

A consortium led by the Gulf kingdom completed its controversial but long-anticipated purchase of the club as the Morning Star went to press.

In a statement, the Premier League said that its owners’ and directors’ test had been completed, that a dispute over who “would own and/or have the ability to control the club following the takeover” had been settled, and that it had “received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club.”

A Saudi ban on broadcasts by Premier League rights holder beIN Sports, as well as alleged Saudi involvement in piracy of its content, were understood to have been key obstacles to the takeover, with a previous bid having fallen through last summer.

But, before the deal went through, Amnesty International had reminded the Premier League that issues around human rights are far from resolved and should remain a factor in the Newcastle takeover and in similar deals made in the future.

The £300m-plus deal gives the Saudi Public Investment Fund, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, an 80 per cent stake in the club.

“Instead of allowing those implicated in serious human rights violations to walk into English football simply because they have deep pockets, we’ve urged the Premier League to change their owners’ and directors’ test to address human rights issues,” Amnesty UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said.

“Ever since this deal was first talked about we said it represented a clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to sportswash their appalling human rights record with the glamour of top-flight football.

“Saudi ownership of St James’s Park was always as much about image management for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his government as it was about football.

“Under Mohammed Bin Salman the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia remains dire, with government critics, women’s rights campaigners, Shia activists and human defenders still being harassed and jailed, often after blatantly unfair trials.

“The closed-door trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged killers was widely perceived to be a part of a wider whitewash by the authorities, and Saudi Arabia is accused of a catalogue of crimes under international humanitarian law during the long conflict in Yemen.”

He pointed out that the words “human rights” do not currently appear in the owners’ and directors’ test despite English football supposedly adhering to Fifa standards, which state that “human rights commitments are binding on all Fifa bodies and officials.”

“We’ve sent the Premier League a suggested new human rights-compliant test and we reiterate our call on them to overhaul their standards on this,” Mr Deshmukh said.

“As with Formula One, elite boxing, golf or tennis, an association with top-tier football is a very attractive means of rebranding a country or person with a tarnished reputation.

“The Premier League needs to better understand the dynamic of sportswashing and tighten its ownership rules.”