Another North East public figure has moved to put pressure on the Premier League following the collapse of a takeover deal for Newcastle United.
Blaydon MP Liz Twist has written to top flight bosses after a proposed buyout of the club by a Saudi-backed team unravelled.
It follows Newcastle City Council's chief executive Pat Ritchie's decision to publicly call for answers from the Premier League on July 4.
A number of the region's other MPs have intervened to demand clarity after a 17 week process - which some had judged was sure to be completed - fizzled out.
The buying party - led by broker Amanda Staveley and backed primarily by funding from Saudi Arabia's public investment fund, as well as the Reuben brothers - dramatically decided to walk away last week.
In a statement, the would-be buyers pinned the blame on the "prolonged process" despite acknowledging the Covid-19 pandemic and associated financial contraction "rendered the potential investment no longer commercially viable".
Saudi Arabian involvement in pirated football content and the exact ownership structure of the takeover are widely reported to have been key stumbling blocks behind the scenes.
The Premier League are yet to publicly comment on the matter but are under increasing pressure to do so from politicians and fans alike.
In a series of posts on Twitter, Liz Twist MP said: "I have received a huge amount of emails today from [NUFC] fans who are rightly angry at the injustice of the current situation. I will be replying to everyone shortly, but just wanted to address it here.
"I know how important [NUFC] is to our people and our communities, and the real impact this sport can have on local morale and wellbeing. I have therefore been working alongside local colleagues including [Chi Onwurah] to put pressure on those responsible for the deal’s collapse.
"As such I have written to the [Premier League] to add my voice to the calls for transparency, fairness and a better future for football fans.
"I will also put pressure on the government to make sure fans have a voice in future deals and have the opportunity to play a bigger role in the running of clubs.Things have got to change; our people deserve it."
Newcastle council's chief exec has publicly offered to meet with league boss Richard Masters to help forge a "compromise" between the parties in order to secure investment in the city.
But Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s economics affairs programme director, has cautioned that the potential benefits of the takeover “shouldn’t come at the expense of being able to draw attention to the jailings, torture, executions and the widespread crushing of basic human rights taking place in Saudi Arabia”.
