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A Labour government would enforce tighter controls on billionaire Premier League bosses, Jeremy Corbyn told NUFC fans furious with their own club's owner during a visit to Newcastle at the weekend.

Many Magpies supporters are angry with St James' Park chief Mike Ashley following the departure of manger Rafa Benitez and years of teased takeovers.

And meeting with a small group of supporters, Mr Corbyn pledged to give fans like them greater control over their clubs.

Speaking to members of Newcastle United supporters Trust, Ashley Out, the Magpie Group and the NUFC Foodbank, he revealed plans to help fans buy shares in their clubs and give them control over at least two board members.

Corbyn followed up his strong words on Monday with a tweet saying: "Football clubs are part of the social fabric that binds us together. They are too important to be left in the hands of bad owners. Under Labour, fans will have a say in how their clubs are run."

He posted a video about his visit to Newcastle alongside the tweet, and referred to Mike Ashley by name, saying: "A small group of people are ruining our national game.

"Billionaire football owners like Mike Ashley, who runs Newcastle United Football Club."

Following the rally at Newcastle City Hall on Saturday, Corbyn also promised to boost the profile of the women's game and improve access for disabled fans.

(Image: PA)

The Labour leader - who has criticised Mr Ashley in the past and attacked the use of zero-hours contracts at Sports Direct - told the back-stage meeting that clubs like NUFC were "too important to be left in the hands of bad owners like Mike Ashley" who, he said, "put their business interests ahead of everything else, marginalise supporters and even put the financial security of clubs at risk."

He heard how fans believe the mood and economic success of the city is linked to the football team's success.

One told him: "What's important for me as an individual fan, apart from any group, is that if Newcastle United does badly, my fellow citizens do badly - it might sound a bit far-fetched, but we have to protect Newcastle for its community."

And Arsenal supporter Corbyn agreed: "It's the mentality in the community that comes from the club."

One season ticket holder of 27 years claimed the club's owner was the reason he no longer attends matches.

He said: "What we were talking about earlier, about community, he's the opposite of that...My money is going directly into his pocket, it is not going towards the betterment of my football club."

Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah, who has raised the issue of the club's ownership in Parliament, added: "To see the club treated like a capital asset, like something that can be asset-stripped, we don't see where the money is going. What Mike Ashley owns is the land, is the club, and he can do what he wants with it without any transparency or visibility for the fans who actually make the club work."

Under the policy, if elected a Labour government would: