Mike Ashley was in Dubai as Newcastle United were thrashed 3-0 away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The owner was informed of events at the Amex Stadium as Newcastle capitulated on the South Coast.
Ashley must now weigh up whether to pay out the compensation for Steve Bruce and bring in a new manager with coach Graeme Jones an early candidate to replace him.
A seven-figure fee would be needed to replace Bruce but the club would lose millions on a possible takeover sale or relegation either way as United sit with just two wins from the last 20 in all competitions.
Bruce said after the defeat: "My biggest thing, and we can analyse the whole thing, we weren’t good enough on the night, and I take full responsibility like I should, we were nowhere near the levels we should be, and that was a big concern.
"It’s a big game and we didn’t do enough."
Bruce added: "We were simply beaten by a far better team on the night. It was a very difficult evening for us, we have to accept it, and take responsibility for it, because at times it was a little bit too easy for Brighton.
"Take nothing away from our opponents, they were better in every department."
