Newcastle’s Saudi-style kit condemned as ‘trolling’
Newcastle United plans to launch a Saudi Arabia-style kit unravelled spectacularly last night as they were accused of an act of “monumental trolling”.
The club were ridiculed and condemned by MPS, the fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi and human rights campaigners following the leaking of the white-andgreen shirt. The launch of such a kit undermines the legally binding assurances given during the Saudiled takeover of Newcastle that the
Middle East kingdom would not control the club.
Julian Knight, the chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said: “Part of me thinks this shows an unexpected sense of humour from the new owners of Newcastle United as it appears to be an act of monumental trolling of the Premier League’s so-called legally binding assurances.”
Hatice Cengiz, who had been due to marry Khashoggi before his brutal murder in 2018 at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, said: “The insensitivity of using the symbols and colours of the Saudi state and the Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] on the football field is deeply shocking. Now we can see sportswashing in action.
“Despite all the ‘assurances’ given when the Saudi fund took over, in the first season they are starting to push their real agenda. The Crown Prince is blatantly using sport to try to improve his legitimacy and popularity at home and abroad. The UK authorities, the Football Association and the Premier League must stop this now. Otherwise, where will it end?”
Amnesty International said: “If it is true, it exposes the power of the Saudi dollar and the kingdom’s determination to sportswash its brutal, bloodsoaked human rights record.
“Everyone needs to resist being part of Saudi Arabia’s propaganda drive, be aware of what is going on there and speak out about the government’s abuses: the mass executions, Khashoggi’s murder and dire situation for LGBTI+ people. Sport must not be allowed to be used like this.”
Nick Mcgeehan, founding director of Fairsquare and a former senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, added: “The legally binding assurances were clearly nonsense from the start, and the Saudis either think the Premier League are credulous or too interested in their millions to care much about their intention to use Newcastle as a promotional vehicle for the state.”
Newcastle, kit suppliers Castore and the Premier League all declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have strengthened their links to Saudi Arabia by appointing Majed Al Sorour, the chief executive of the country’s golf federation, to their board.