Newcastle's projected £300m Saudi Arabia-backed takeover has been cast into further doubt after a World Trade Organisation panel found the country was involved in the pirate beoutQ channel.
The Public Investment Fund, which is the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, agreed to buy 80 per cent of the club from Mike Ashley two months ago and approval was expected to be a formality within a few weeks.
The WTO has ruled that Saudi Arabia failed to stop a broadcasting operation pirating sports coverage and blocked moves to shut it down in a proxy of the Gulf economic and diplomatic dispute with Qatar.