VENUE SWITCH

Protest fears may see game moved

NEWCASTLE United’s Premier League clash with Manchester City has been earmarked as potentially taking place at a neutral venue due to concerns of a possible publicity stunt or protest surrounding the Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.

Plans surrounding the Premier League’s imminent return are ongoing, the first fixtures of the restart set to take place on Wednesday June 17.

While the majority of matches will take place in the usual home and away format, albeit behind closed doors, a number of fixtures have been recommended for potentially taking place at neutral grounds.

They include the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool, along with games where the Reds could potentially lift the Premier League title.

However, eyebrows were raised when Newcastle’s trip to face champions City was mentioned as among those potentially taking place at neutral venues - but a reason has now been given.

It is a concern over the possibility of a small number of Newcastle fans using the fixture to celebrate the completion of a takeover.

There are also worries the fixture could be used as the platform for a political protest over the Saudi-Arabia backed takeover, which has attracted controversy.

Newcastle’s clash with City has already been dubbed the ‘Middle East derby’ due to the Abu Dhabi Group’s ownership of the Premier League champions coming up against the new kids on the block in the form of the Magpies.

Talk of a neutral ground for the clash follows a suggestion being made online regarding a possible stunt which could involve a reference to the old Harry Enfield sketch in which a character boasts about being ‘considerably richer than you.’

However, United have not been informed of a definitive reason behind the potential movement of the fixture and neither the NPCC or Great Manchester Police would comment on the threat of a stunt or a protest.