Amanda Staveley and husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi are set to be in attendance at Wembley Stadium this weekend for Newcastle United‘s impending Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool.
The former Magpies’ co-owners sold their six per cent minority stake in the club to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Reuben family last summer, bringing an end to their three-year stint a St James’ Park.
Staveley played a key role in brokering the deal which saw PIF buy the club from Mike Ashley, becoming the richest club in world football. A prominent figure before, during and after the takeover, she became a key link between the new ownership, fans and players.
However, a report from The Daily Mail reckoned that tensions at boardroom level saw Staveley and Ghodoussi forced out of the club. So, why did the duo actually leave St James’ Park last summer? Chronicle Live has all you need to know below…
Amanda Staveley breaks her silence
“One of the things we loved when we first took over was that we did pretty much every job,” Staveley told The Athletic last year. “There just weren’t any staff – so we were doing the commercial stuff, the director of football stuff, the buying, PR, fan engagement. We were doing the role of the chief executive and the Premier League stuff, constantly fighting while trying to build a relationship with other clubs.
“It was exhausting, but you put everything into it because that was what it needed and it was what the Newcastle fans deserved. I feel bad because Lexi (Alexander), my wonderful son, suffered for three years because he didn’t get the attention he should have had, although he now loves Newcastle as much as we do.
“As we grew, we brought in an executive team and Darren Eales (the CEO), but we were very much at the coalface because Newcastle was still under-resourced. As the club continues to expand it needs a management team which can be left to do their jobs.
“I’ve read on social media that there has been some kind of fall-out, but that’s rubbish. I love my colleagues. It just became unfair for us to constantly be there.”
Wembley ‘olive branch’
Newcastle co-owner Jamie Reuben has offered Staveley and Ghodoussi “an olive branch”, according to The Sun, offering them tickets to watch the Carabao Cup Final clash with Liverpool this weekend.
Despite Staveley playing down talk of a fall-out, the pair have not been back at St James’ Park since leaving last summer and an appearance at Wembley would be their first return, in one sense, to the club.
The report claims sources at the club still hold the pair in high-regard for the work they did after helping to push through the takeover in 2021.
In an interview with ITV last week, Staveley said: “I’ll be there at Wembley with Alexander (her son), Mehrdad and all our family and we’re just so proud of everybody. And we’re so excited also for the fans to have this because it’s the most incredible day.
“I do feel a bit like a mum, a very proud mum. So I’ll be very nervous. And I just, I don’t want to embarrass myself. I did last time, as I cried a lot. But it’s the most remarkable privilege for me to be there with the fans. So I’m looking forward to celebrating as a fan.
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“I’m really confident that we’ll get the win. I know Eddie is and I know the whole team and city are focused on this match. It means the world to everybody. I don’t want to give any predictions because I don’t want to jinx anything. But, I know how much this trophy means to everybody.
“Whatever the result, this will be an incredible achievement, because getting to two finals in such a short space of time is a testament to all the hard work that the shareholders, PIF, the Reuben family, have put into the club. And it couldn’t happen without the amazing Newcastle community.
“I always feel Newcastle is home, it will always be home, I feel so welcome every time I’m here. It is a privilege for me to work and be among these incredible. Newcastle is in my heart, very much part of my soul and my DNA. And coming up here this morning, I woke up and thought; ‘Oh, I’m in Newcastle again’ and it feels so special.”
Links with Premier League rivals
Staveley has been linked with a return to the Premier League having departed St James’ Park with Tottenham Hotspur a club she’s been connected with. Daniel Levy’s side are said to be on the hunt for new investors with Qatar-based investors linked with the club – and Staveley involved.
The former Newcastle director spoke about a potential return to football last year. Speaking at the Bloomberg’s ‘Women, Money & Power’ event, Staveley said: “First of all, I think all we can do is thank the amazing Newcastle community and the founders for all the support that we had and and continue to get.
“It’s so hard to move on from a club that’s amazing. We could never move on from Newcastle and we never will. But yes, we’re looking at a number of investment operations.
“We can’t say too much at the moment because of you know, rules around it. But we will be able to talk about it, hopefully in the not too distant future.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/amanda-staveley-left-newcastle-united-31203752
