Henry Mauriss bid to buy Newcastle United – New claims still insist ‘interest is genuine’ despite fan scepticism

For Newcastle fans, any mention of Henry Mauriss set to buy Newcastle United is met with a shake of the head or hysterical laughter.

Yet, various journalists have repeatedly insisted that this is the case.

Indeed, certain journalists still insist Henry Mauriss is a credible genuine bidder for the football club.

One of those who stand out in particular is Luke Edwards, who covers Newcastle United for The Telegraph.

He has taken great delight in mocking those Newcastle fans on social media, who believe that the Saudi PIF bid could be resurrected, yet at the same time in these exchanges with NUFC supporters, still claims that Henry Mauriss is the real deal and could buy Newcastle United.

On 30 July 2020, the man from The Telegraph stated on Twitter: ‘A price has been agreed [between Mike Ashley and Henry Mauriss] and they are talking…lets wait and see.’

Then on Friday 7 August, Luke Edwards wrote a piece for The Telegraph claiming that the Henry Mauriss bid to buy Newcastle United was ‘genuine and progressing’…

The man from The Telegraph has been quiet the past couple of weeks on his mate Henry Mauriss, turns out he has been on holiday.

Back working now and back in the saddle on Henry Mauriss…

Luke Edwards of The Telegraph on Twitter – 22 August 2020:

“I see lots people have been asking about Henry Mauriss while I’ve been away.

“Let’s clarify a few things.

“I’m not personally invested in his bid, I’ve merely reported he was going to make one as far as I know and have written a formal bid was submitted when PIF withdrew.

“In two weeks since I’ve not heard anything as I’ve been on holiday and haven’t asked but was told I wouldn’t be provided with a running commentary anyway.

“It is up to Clear TV who are supposedly providing the money to not only prove it is in place but also to show funds are there to invest in club.

“I have no influence.

“I have never said it will happen, merely that the interest is genuine and a bid will be made.

“It is up to Americans to make it happen, not me.

“If it happens we’ll be told when it does or he will disappear like others before.”

You can’t have it all ways though, surely.

When you state ‘a formal bid was submitted when PIF withdrew’ and ‘the interest is genuine and a bid will be made’, it then is no surprise that Newcastle fans then want to know what substance lies behind these claims, what a journalist is relying on to make these claims.

Luke Edwards appears to be backtracking a bit at the same time, saying it is nothing to do with him if nothing happens with Henry Mauriss, which is fine, up to a point.

My point is that surely one or more of the Newcastle United covering journalists, who have continued to push Henry Mauriss as a credible potential owner of the football club, should surely by now have at the very least checked out his credentials. As in, does the American businessman have the money / profile that would make you think he can be seen as credible, in terms of buying NUFC and financing the rebuilding of the club?

The nonsense Bellagraph Nova Group claims were quickly put up for public scrutiny, though it wasn’t any of those who cover Newcastle United day to day who did it, instead Reuters stepped in and on Friday gave us a true insight into BNG. They claim on their official website to have 23,000 employees and to have had a turnover of $12billion in 2019.

Yet when Reuters sent reporters to their office HQs, to say it didn’t exactly convince you of their NUFC buying credentials, would be understatement of the century. The new European HQ for BNG in Paris, turned out to be part of a complex of offices that Regus rent out, by the hour, or day, or longer. Staff there said there were sometimes BNG staff working from there but not all of the time.

As for the Singapore HQ for BNG, Reuters found a similar story to the Paris HQ, as did Singapore based NUFC fan and regular contributor to The Mag, Jonathan Drape-Comyn. He had a walk round to that Singapore HQ and found it was on the fourth floor of the building pictured below, turns out it is above a pet shop and his favourite restaurant!

Now why doesn’t any Newcastle covering journalist do the same with Henry Mauriss?

Use their resources and contacts to check out the Mauriss profile and finances, prove doubting Newcastle United fans wrong.

As a fan, when you check Henry Mauriss out online, there seems to be nothing to suggest he’d have the kind of money needed.

Forbes published their latest annual report on $billionaires, in June 2020 listing over 2,000 now in the world, including Mike Ashley with an estimated $3billion fortune. To be a $billionaire is the equivalent of around £780m and yet Henry Mauriss was nowhere to be seen on the Forbes report, nor indeed can you find anything elsewhere to support the idea that he is anywhere close to being able to afford to buy NUFC.

Also repeated again by Luke Edwards in his latest commentary is the assertion that it is the company (Clear TV) and not Mauriss as an individual, that is looking to buy the club from Mike Ashley.

However, Bloomberg report that Henry Mauriss is the Chief Executive and sole Director of Clear TV, so basically, it looks very much that he is Clear TV.

Last year (2019), ClearTV Media UK Ltd was incorporated and Companies House records show Henry Mauriss to be the sole shareholder of that business as well.

We can’t blame Luke Edwards or indeed any other journalist if Newcastle United does not get sold, that fault lies solely with Mike Ashley because like every other business, if NUFC is priced to sell, then it would be bought by somebody.

However, we can blame journalists if they keep on claiming that somebody is a credible bidder for the club, if they then over the course of months and months, don’t even properly check out the background and finances of the individual or group.