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

[Rich]

Not the first rumbling I've heard that we'll wear the third kit, just checking to see if there's anything more in it.

[David Edgar]

 

But then, a healthy reminder that our club is owned as a sports washing vessel for tyrants.  Can't really complain. 

[Dokko]

38 minutes ago, Donut said:

I fucking hate our Saudi FC away kit. It's embarrassing.

 

It's fucking awful. Glad we seem to do shite in it.

[Ronaldo]

1 minute ago, Dokko said:

 

It's fucking awful. Glad we seem to do shite in it.

Have a word, it’s a fkin football strip.

[Newcastle Fan]

A few fucking draws and people are losing their shit over everything and everyone

[TRon]

18 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

It's fucking awful. Glad we seem to do shite in it.

 

 

[Dancing Brave]

1 hour ago, Donut said:

I fucking hate our Saudi FC away kit. It's embarrassing.

What a Donut.

[dave s]

 

[thomas]

wish I'd catalogued all of the "i'd 100% walk away from the sport if that happened to us" puffed-chest declarations from their lot commenting on us, just to see if they really have the courage of their convictions.

[Pixelphish]

2 hours ago, thomas said:

wish I'd catalogued all of the "i'd 100% walk away from the sport if that happened to us" puffed-chest declarations from their lot commenting on us, just to see if they really have the courage of their convictions.

Some incredible mental gymnastics on display soon. In excited.

[Manxst]

Saudi Arabia will host the Club World Cup in December

[The Prophet]

 

[TheBrownBottle]

21 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

There is no chance MBS shows up at a NUFC game unless it is crowning the team as English or European champions (or a European Cup final that we lose in fairness).

[Smal]

 

Quote

Newcastle United are in talks to host a friendly involving the Saudi Arabia national side this year in the latest sign of the growing ties between the club and the kingdom.

 

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns 80 per cent of the Magpies, who have consolidated links with the country by travelling for several mid-season training camps and recently secured a record shirt sponsorship deal with the PIF-owned entertainment company Sela.

 

Now the national team look set to play a fixture against Mexico at St James’ Park, with Newcastle officials in advanced talks with both federations.

 

A date of 12 September has been pencilled in for the match, which would be the first of two that Mexico are due to play in England later this year.

 

The match is yet to be agreed but Newcastle sources confirmed to i it is a “possibility” and that talks are ongoing.

 

The Football Association would also have to grant permission for the game to be played but that is not anticipated to be an issue given that other national sides have played on English soil recently.

 

Newcastle unveiled Sela as their main shirt sponsor earlier this month and the club’s chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone confirmed their aim is to be the best-supported Premier League side in Saudi Arabia.

Newcastle have also unveiled a green change strip for next season that bears a striking resemblance to the Saudi national side’s away kit.

 

The kit, made by sportswear brand Castore, is described as “golf green” online and follows on from last season’s white and green strip. That sold well in the kingdom.

 

Saudi Arabia are ranked 54th in the world but sprung a huge shock during the Qatar World Cup by beating Argentina. The country has aspirations to become a global power in the sport, is eyeing a bid for the 2030 World Cup and is intent on growing its domestic league.

 

PIF cited its management of Newcastle when announcing plans to revolutionise the Saudi Pro League by taking control of the four biggest clubs in the league and sanctioning an extensive and expensive recruitment drive.

 

Really don't like it at all. Hope protests are arranged (not necessarily just by NUFC fans) if it does happen. 

 

Also really hate to think that there'll be NUFC fans going along to support the Kindgom of Saudi Arabia, ffs.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Smal

[KaKa]

At this point an increasing number of footballers are moving over there to play for their clubs on lucrative deals. 

 

And so at this rate I wouldn't worry too much about being associated with the region at all. It's clear to see where this is heading.

 

It's only a matter of time before their league is number 1 and has all the best players, and then I imagine they'll sell up all the clubs they are involved with in the west.

[RobsonsWonderland]

To be fair it will not be the first non England friendlies played in the UK.

 

Mostly played in London in smaller grounds (QPR springs to mind) but this does come with added grief in my eyes.

 

Plus will Mexico have the pull of a crowd as say a Brazil with a couple of our players playing.

 

 

[Barnes23]

Don't have a problem with it personally, hosting an international fixture isn't a big deal. 

[Smal]

It's not just hosting any international fixture though is it. It's the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A state whose dictatorship regime commits war crimes and murders Yemeni schoolchildren, chops up journalists, executes LGBTQ people and imprisons any dissenting voices. 

 

They would be playing at SJP as a display and celebration of our club's links with that regime. 

[KaKa]

I really think you guys should have done more to resist the takeover and maybe held protests at the Premier League offices or something. It's clear you are not going to be able to separate their sporting ventures from their politics and culture.

[Kid Icarus]

16 minutes ago, KaKa said:

I really think you guys should have done more to resist the takeover and maybe held protests at the Premier League offices or something. It's clear you are not going to be able to separate their sporting ventures from their politics and culture.

 

All due respect, I was part of a group that couldn't talk the majority of the fanbase into protesting against Mike Ashley despite him being universally loathed. You'd have more joy selling garlic in Transylvania than protesting against this lot in Newcastle. 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[Dr.Spaceman]

31 minutes ago, Smal said:

It's not just hosting any international fixture though is it. It's the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A state whose dictatorship regime commits war crimes and murders Yemeni schoolchildren, chops up journalists, executes LGBTQ people and imprisons any dissenting voices. 

 

They would be playing at SJP as a display and celebration of our club's links with that regime. 

 

Like everyone knows this is the case, but what do people like you get out of repeating yourself like this?

 

Genuine question and I'm not trying to be a prick (for once), I have issues with it myself.

[Hovagod]

They’re using our kit and stadium exactly as they see fit, and they don’t need to justify anything because the fanbase are readily complicit in it all. (Seem to see hundreds of people around the place in last year’s Saudi kit.) I’m not talking mass protest (though I don’t see why not), but our lack of circumspection as a fanbase is it a bit bizarre, and the crying if and when we do get fucked over in the future is going to rightly draw contempt from the rest of the country. Meanwhile, we’re happily opting into a cup scheme that Man Utd fans were up in arms about a few years back. 

[Barnes23]

3 minutes ago, Smal said:

It's not just hosting any international fixture though is it. It's the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A state whose dictatorship regime commits war crimes and murders Yemeni schoolchildren, chops up journalists, executes LGBTQ people and imprisons any dissenting voices. 

 

They would be playing at SJP as a display and celebration of our club's links with that regime. 

The degree of separation between the actions of a regime and a national football team are vast, the degree of separation between all of that and NUFC as a club and Newcastle as a city is vaster still. Much of the debate surrounding our involvement with SA seem to operate on this assumption of complicity which seems to treat non-equivalent areas of life (sport, business, geopolitics, the internal politics of SA) as commensurable when they really aren't. 

 

 

 

 

[KaKa]

17 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

All due respect, I was part of a group that couldn't talk the majority of people into protesting against Mike Ashley who was universally loathed by the fanbase. You'd have more joy selling garlic in Transylvania than protesting against this lot in Newcastle. 

 

Yeah, that's the problem really. 

 

I think when people have an issue with this stuff they need to get out there en masse and make their voices heard about it. I think if enough of a fuss had been made by Newcastle fans against it, the takeover could have been thwarted.

 

However, I don't remember seeing anyone out there that were Newcastle fans really going against it, and so complaining about everything the ownership now does that is associated to their country just seems pointless.

 

Having said that, maybe even now if enough of a fuss is kicked up it could make an impact. If enough Newcastle fans really don't want the Saudis at their club they need to start a movement to get them out, and maybe they'll get their wish. I'm sure there are other clubs they would look at.

 

Then again the way they're hoovering up players for their league, maybe they'll just double down their focuses on that alone.

[RUHRLYASLEEVESUP]

Just now, Barnes23 said:

The degree of separation between the actions of a regime and a national football team are vast, the degree of separation between all of that and NUFC as a club and Newcastle as a city is vaster still. Much of the debate surrounding our involvement with SA seem to operate on this assumption of complicity which seems to treat non-equivalent areas of life (sport, business, geopolitics, the internal politics of SA) as commensurable when they really aren't. 

 

 

 

 

very well said, seems some people’s opinions matter more than others in they’re opinion

 

not one person on here agrees with civil or human rights abuse I wouldn’t of thought however the “inference” any fan / follower is in anyway complicit or agrees with any regime, dictatorship or other is just plain daft, you can debate til the cows come home but it won’t ever change a single thing in respect of this, we are where we are and from an entirely selfish point of view I’m delighted where we are as a team / club which is the only thing I’m concerned with.