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The "delighted Ashley has gone, but uncomfortable with Saudi ownership" thread

UncleBingo

by UncleBingo
in Football

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St. Maximin

St. Maximin

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, geordiesteve710 said:

 

To clarify, I do have my doubts that "sportswashing" is an effective way to repair/reset a country's brand or image. For example it's never going to magically make everyone forget the abuses and get on their side.

 

But my comment was more aimed at those who doubt the very existence of sportswashing as a concept. You've now got Newcastle fans (often but not always the same people) saying that they just want to watch football but then getting defensive and justifying the ownership every time it is attacked. We are only five weeks in and already Saudi flags are a consistent feature in our away ends.

 

The extreme version is you've now got Keith, a fan who has considerable influence within our fanbase doing a video in arab garb with Saudi flags pinned all over his basement explaining that they're not all that bad and there's much we can learn from each others cultures. And in honesty there are many (not all, obviously) who are happy to hang on his every word and get behind this narrative.

 

Fwiw I also agree with you that journalists are somewhat counter-productive, but as long as they get their clicks that's the main thing for them. This is where sportswashing is clever- it plays on the tribal instincts of football fans. The natural instinct in any close community is to see an attack on one of us as an attack on us all, especially when some of the attacks are aimed at the fanbase itself and worded provocatively often by (if we're honest) hypocritical dickheads. It plays on strong human instincts that are heightened by the passionate, tribal nature of football and I don't agree that it's insulting anyone's intelligence to say that it is a strategy that a) is used and b) potentially could have some success.

 

Put the above together and all of a sudden you've got a section of voices in the UK fighting the Saudis corner and defending what they previously would have seen as the indefensible. Not everyone, but a section, and all of a sudden it's a legitimate debate.

Good post, thanks for clarifying.

 

When it comes to 'doubt' I would say I doubt the intentions and outcomes of these investments are for a change of reputation on a large scale. The use of Saudi flags in the ground on Twitter, whoppers dressing up in tea towels and the fans defending KSA I find not only embarrassing but distasteful. However, for sportswashing to have major concerns (that I imagine AI and the media have written about), there needs to be a change of reputation on a much bigger scale, perhaps with a notable proportion of the UK's football fanbase fightong the Saudis' corner, but really I am only seeing this from a small minority of Newcastle fans. The takeoover has been used to turn a lot of other fans against us really so from a sportswashing perspective I don't feel too concerned.

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manorpark

manorpark

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, St. Maximin said:

The takeover has been used to turn a lot of other fans against us really so from a sportswashing perspective I don't feel too concerned.

 

Most of the other clubs fans who have said they have turned against us, have done so because our club is now very wealthy, far more wealthy than they are with all that goes with that.

 

The "source" of (some of) our wealth is not the thing that really bothers them. However, the source will often (very often) be what they "say" is the reason why they have turned against us.

 

My lifetimes experience is that people generally say what suits them, and what suits them is VERY rarely the truth !!! 

 

 

Edited by manorpark

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TheHoob

TheHoob

Posted
Posted

Reason #32732 why Wraith should get in the fucking sea. 

 

Grim as fuck, thankfully just seems to be a handful of whoppers actually sticking up for the account, think the majority clocked it for what it was a while back. 

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Guest HTT II

Guest HTT II

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

 

If they are then let me be the first to tell them they're cunts for working for that shitrag.

Except Craig Hope, he’s lovely him.

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Dokko

Dokko

Posted
Posted

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest that he did meet someone called Kate at a protest. If they are that involved to create accounts like Kate then they'll easy hire an actor to legitimise it at a crucial time. 

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Rafalove

Rafalove

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Heron said:

What was so relevant about this Kate Stewart BTW. Like it was just a fake account wasn't it?

 

I don't really follow this stuff. :lol:


 

Its still active. Very active. Constantly tweeting pro Saudi, pro British propaganda especially towards both our own respctive royal families. Also posting a lot about NUFC, belligerently   Going after any journalist who criticises our Saudi ownership or club.

 

i’m not actually on Twitter so I’m not sure exactly how many of our fans are falling for the bait, but this godawful Twitter account is trying to create a siege mentality among Newcastle fans against people who criticise our club or Saudi regime. It seems to be working atleast a little bit judging by some of the replies. 
 

what is more sinister is who is behind the account. Which according to the  F. B.I is Saud Al Qhatani. The man who orchestrated the murder of the journalist Jamal Kashoggi, and many other torturings and killings.

 

 

here is his Wikipedia 


 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saud_al-Qahtani

 

 

 

 

 

 

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