Newcastle United's takeover has reportedly been met with backlash from all other 19 clubs in the top flight who have demanded an emergency meeting with the Premier League.
The Guardian report that the rest of the league have inundated league officials with complaints as they have united in opposition against the fact the Saudi-led consortium have seen their takeover attempt confirmed - ending Mike Ashley's 14-year reign at St James Park.
Anger from other clubs stems from their confusion as to why the takeover was permitted this time around after the first attempt failed to materialise over a year ago.
While the calls for an emergency meeting are redundant in terms of reversing the decision to permit the takeover, it shines a light on morale throughout the league and how angered the rest of the pack are.
It is thought that the rest of the clubs think the reputation of the league could be tarnished by allowing Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to take an 80-per-cent stake in the club.
The anger from the other clubs raises questions given the amount of controversy a number of other club owners have been embroiled in before or during their tenure.
News of Newcastle's takeover was only received by the rest of the league via an email sent at 5:18pm on Thursday evening.
Shortly after, the league released a statement saying the deal was done and that it had "received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United".
The takeover has also sparked backlash from a number of human rights organisations, including Amnesty International - who released a lengthy statement condemning the deal.
"Instead of allowing those implicated in serious human rights violations to walk into English football simply because they have deep pockets, we’ve urged the Premier League to change their owners’ and directors’ test to address human rights issues," the statement read.
"Ever since this deal was first talked about we said it represented a clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to sportswash their appalling human rights record with the glamour of top-flight football.
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"Saudi ownership of St James’ Park was always as much about image management for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his government as it was about football.
"Under Mohammed Bin Salman, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia remains dire – with government critics, women’s rights campaigners, Shia activists and human defenders still being harassed and jailed, often after blatantly unfair trials.
"The closed-door trial of Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged killers was widely perceived to be a part of a wider whitewash by the authorities, and Saudi Arabia is accused of a catalogue of crimes under international humanitarian law during the long conflict in Yemen."
