Newcastle United’s success comes at a heavy price
Spectator (UK)Feb 26, 2023
On Thursday, Amnesty International urged the English Premier League to re-examine the legally binding promise made by Newcastle United’s Saudi owners, which stated that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was separate from the country’s government.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF took 80% ownership of Newcastle in October 2021 with assurances that the Saudi state wouldn't control the soccer club. At the time, Premier League CEO Richard Masters confirmed this and said that Newcastle’s owners could be removed if the promises were false.
Newcastle chose to sacrifice its morals to pursue on-field success by partnering with the brutal Saudi regime. The club’s recent achievements are undoubtedly tainted, as its owners have executed 157 people since PIF bought Newcastle. To make matters worse, manager Eddie Howe has buried his head in the sand, willingly becoming Saudi's latest "sportswashing" tool to distract from its growing human rights abuses.
In today's tumultuous global environment, sports should be used to bridge the gap between divided societies rather than as a tool to polarize each other, but it seems that the West is intent on doing just that. Rather than making accusations of "sportswashing," attention should be focused on the positive returns that sports bring to Saudi Arabia's progressing society and its citizens.
Biased media is trying to destroy Newcastle and diminish its success by lying about Saudi Arabia’s control over the club. The hypocrisy extends to so many levels as these media outlets ignore teams like Manchester United who have taken millions from the Saudi government for years. Corrupt media outlets even ignore their own companies’ close ties to the regime.