Fears as Saudis buy Newcastle United

WEALTHY businessmen linked to the Saudi regime bought Newcastle United Football Club for £305million last night, despite there being grave concerns over human rights abuses in the country.

Around 80 per cent of the money has been provided by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), whose chairman is the kingdom’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The foreign takeover of yet another Premier League football club will see Newcastle become one of the richest clubs in the world because the PIF has assets of almost £300billion. This sum is expected to increase to £730billion by 2025. Critics had tried to block the move so ‘human rights issues’ in the Gulf state could be addressed.

Amnesty International said the takeover was directly linked to the Saudi government because the PIF is run by Bin Salman, the kingdom’s de-facto ruler. He has been accused of ordering the kidnap, torture and assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. Bin Salman denies any involvement.

Amnesty UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: ‘This deal represents a clear attempt by the Saudi authorities to sportswash their appalling human rights record with the glamour of top-flight football. Saudi ownership of St James’s Park was always as much about image management for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his government as it was about football.

‘Under Bin Salman, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia remains dire – with government critics, women’s rights campaigners, Shia activists and human defenders still being harassed and jailed, often after blatantly unfair trials.’

Mr Deshmukh said the Saudi state was responsible for covering up the murder of Mr Khashoggi and also accused it of humanitarian crimes in Yemen.