Premier League club Newcastle United was taken off the market by owner Mike Ashley on Sunday. Ashley, who made his fortune in sportswear, put the club up for sale three months ago after saying he could no longer attend home matches because of abuse from fans.
A statement on the club's website (www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk) said there had been interest but Ashley had decided to stay and support manager Joe Kinnear. Ashley completed his take-over of the club in July 2007 for 134 million pounds ($197.6 million) and often sat with fans during club matches wearing a replica shirt. However he fell foul of the fans in September after the popular Kevin Keegan quit as manager saying he did not have full control over the buying and selling of players.