Newcastle and Manchester City are unhappy at being targeted by the rest of the Premier League after the chief executive of another club this week called for curbs on investment from companies specifically from the Gulf.
Sportsmail has learned that the explicit geopolitical reference to funding from the region came in an email sent to the other clubs before the emergency Premier League meeting on Monday, at which they voted to introduce a one-month ban on sponsorship involving related parties.
Newcastle voted against the proposal and City abstained, due to doubts over whether the ban is legally enforceable and the speed with which the restriction was being introduced.