Newcastle United Takeover: Time for the Premier League to eradicate ‘sportswashing?’
Finally, after years of speculation and doubt, on the 7th of October it was announced that the £300m purchase of Newcastle United by Saudi-led consortium would go ahead.
Whilst the news has been almost universally celebrated by Newcastle fans – many have voiced their concerns about the new owners’ ties with the Saudi state.
The consortium, or ‘Investment Group’, is made up of three partners. The Reuben Brothers and Amanda Staveley will each hold a 10% stake in the club, with the majority shareholders being the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), who have purchased 80%.
The takeover means that Newcastle now boasts the richest owners in the world football, with the combined wealth of the PIF being upwards of £300 billion.
In her first interview as a Newcastle board member, Amanda Staveley was keen to express that the PIF was an ‘autonomous’ investment fund, but many have found it hard to ignore the ties that the group have with Saudi state – especially considering that in his spare time, chairman of the PIF, Mohammed bin Salman, happens to be the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia – presiding over an authoritarian regime that routinely executes and tortures journalists, activists, and political rivals.
Bin Salman (colloquially known as MBS) acme to international attention after the gruesome murder and dismemberment of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
In terms of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia this is but the tip of the iceberg – in 2019 alone, Saudi Arabia executed 184 people, some of whom being children at the time of their trial and the state-led coalition in Yemen has seen 17,500 civilians killed and injured since 2015. Saudi Arabia ranks 170th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index.
This has reopened the debate about whether the Premier League should be doing more to prevent ‘sportswashing’.
‘Sportswashing’, or nations using sports as a platform to promote their name and positive messages about their country, is not an entirely new practice. Sheikh Mansour of the UAE famously took over Manchester City in 2008 and in 2011 the Emir of Qatar purchased PSG – it is not just limited to the Desert Kingdoms too, it has a history dating back to Hitler’s 1936 hosting of the Olympics. But with the takeover now going ahead, many are concerned that people will become desensitised to human rights violations in the Gulf as the Saudis become the smiling faces of football success.
These grievances have mostly fallen on deaf ears in Tyneside. In a poll with The Athletic, 83% of Newcastle fans voted that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record ‘did concern them’ but only 29% voted that they be put off ‘going to a game or spending money in the club shop’. Club legend Alan Shearer tweeted ‘Yessssss. We can dare to hope again’ – whilst thousands of Newcastle fans flocked to Saint James Park the night the news was announced – many waving the Saudi flag, wearing the traditional Saudi kaffiyeh and some even wearing masks of MBS.
The joy in the Toon is understandable. Newcastle is a very proud club and one that has stagnated in recent years. Overnight the Magpies have gone from having a man whom many deemed the worst owner in the Premier League (Sports Direct CEO Mike Ashley) to becoming the richest club in the world.
Plus, in many ways the club have gone from one human rights abuser to another. But in a moral standoff between the issuing of zero hours contracts versus beheading 37 people in a single day, is it so obvious that the latter is the preferred choice of Newcastle fans?
Perhaps, like Staveley claims, it will be a good thing for Newcastle. Money will be invested into the austerity-battered communities surrounding Saint James’ Park and the elation felt by thousands of passionate fans will bring great and much needed pride to the city.
But it is important to acknowledge everything that comes with this. It it important to remember that the half-time pint you’re drinking in the Saint James’ concourse would condemn you to public flogging in MBS’ Saudi Arabia. Next time Rainbow Laces Day comes around and Jamal Lascelles wears the rainbow captain’s armband, spare a thought for Suhail al James who has been in Saudi prison since 2019 for posting a topless photo online – and next time the owners promise more funding to the women’s team, remember the women who are currently locked up for protesting the driving ban.
So, enjoy your
So, enjoy your #cans Newcastle fans, but is it time that the Premier League shows us that they are committed to the separation of sport and state?
With the money coming, it doesn’t look likely.
Image Credit: BBC News
