Premier League president Gary Hoffman will step down at the end of January due to the clubs’ hostile reaction to the acquisition of Newcastle by a Saudi public investment fund.
Hoffman, who has only been in office for 19 months, has come under fire from local clubs after the decision to authorize this investment fund, chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman, to take over Newcastle a month ago.
The English league said it had received legal assurances that the Saudi state would not have control of the club.
Eighteen first division clubs, except Newcastle and Manchester City, supported a motion to ban the project for the time being.
A task force made up of representatives from eight Premier League teams is working on new rules aimed at preventing clubs from reaching agreements with companies linked to their owners. The text should be presented, in principle, at the end of November.
“It has been a privilege to lead the Premier League for the past two seasons. Now I have decided it was time to retire to allow new leaders to command the league in its exciting next phase,” said Hoffman.
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