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Renowned sports lawyer Nick de Marco KC believes Newcastle United should be allowed to invest “more money” to compete with the Premier League elite.
Toon chiefs and supporters alike have grown frustrated with the current FFP/PSR regulations. Despite having owners worth £730billion, the Magpies are unable to exercise that muscle under tight financial regulations.
Clubs must not exceed a £105million loss over a three-year period or risk a potential points deduction. This almost happened in June, with Newcastle forced to scurry over the FFP/PSR deadline by selling Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh.
The Magpies splashed the cash in the early post-takeover days as they aimed to stay in the Premier League. Continued spending resulted in Eddie Howe guiding Newcastle to a first Champions League finish in almost 20 years.
However, the outlay has been frugal since, with the Magpies keeping the purse strings tight for the previous two windows. Howe put the feelers out in recent press conferences to suggest funds will be tight again this winter.
Speaking to BBC Sport, De Marco, who represented Newcastle in their Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case when the Saudi-backed takeover was deadlocked, urged looser restrictions. The 52-year-old referenced billionaire Elon Musk while defending state-backed clubs with deep pockets.
"There is nothing unsustainable about how Manchester City, Newcastle or other (state-backed) clubs are run,” De Marco said. “They are very sustainable. The new point people are making is about competition. I understand there may need to be some upper caps.
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“But let's not get diverted into this argument about whether it is state-owned or not which, of course, there are legal points about. Imagine if Elon Musk bought a club in the Premier League. He must have a personal wealth of more than many states in the world now.
"You see how he has taken over Twitter, now X, and completely changed it. He is very powerful. Would it be any different if it was a private individual or a state? I think the focus on the state is a bit of a mistake.
"I think owners should be allowed to invest a bit more money if they want to but they have to guarantee it so they can't just pull the plug."
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