Saudi sportwashing takes next step with St James’ friendlies
FOR any Newcastle United fan uncomfortable with the cheek-by-jowl nature of the club’s Saudi Arabian link, things just grew a whole lot more awkward. This week’s jarring announcement that St James’ Park will be staging two Saudi Arabia internationals next month brought into sharp focus the nature of the relationship.
If anyone doubted the buyout of Newcastle would come with strings attached, the scales should have fallen from their eyes now.
St James’ Park is one of the great theatres of English football. Or at least it was. It seems now it serves a dual purpose as Saudi Arabia’s overseas home, the national side’s home from home away from the King Fahd International Stadium.
Saudi Arabia v Costa Rica? Saudi Arabia v South Korea?welcome to Riyadh-upon-tyne.
The NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing group have called on the FA to pull the plug on the fixtures.
They do not want their club, the stadium and the region to be used as a giant billboard for Saudi Arabia. But that is exactly what is happening with the Saudi national team coming to the north-east.
At the very least these St James’ Park fixtures should once and for all depth-charge the myth of any separation between Saudi’s Public Investment Fund – which owns Newcastle – and the kingdom’s government.
The Saudis, smart people that they are, will have thought this through at the highest level you can be sure.
They are trying to deepen the relationship with the north-east but also plant a flag with these games. Look, they are saying, we are accepted.
Saudi Arabia’s influence on football has exploded this summer. The spending which has taken the likes of Neymar and Karim Benzema to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League has been extraordinary.al Hilal’s wage bill has now overtaken that of Manchester United.
Saudi Arabia does have a genuine football culture and if players want to cash in their competitive careers for short-term financial gain by playing there that is up to them.
But there is an important difference between club and international football.
Internationals, for all that we would want them to be simply about the sport, symbolise – with their flags and anthems – something much bigger.
The Green Falcons swooping down on the Toon feels distinctly uncomfortable.while Saudiarabia is undoubtedly modernising and evolving with sport as an agent of change its regime remains one of the most repressive around.
Ask Leeds University student and mother of two Salma-al-shehab who is currently serving a 34-year jail sentence in the kingdom for tweeting about women’s rights.
Ask the seven Saudis, arrested as minors, who are currently on death row.
WHEN they jumped into bed with the Saudis, Newcastle took on a whole lot more baggage besides. A lot of fans – the majority probably – will not care. If the government feels able to invite Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (below) to the UK on an official state visit what’s the problem?
Saudi involvement has been overwhelmingly positive for their team and if hosting oddball international friendlies is the price to pay, so what?
It is only a fiver to get in next month so a few might even pop along. The Green Falcons are a good enough side to have beaten Argentina at theworld Cup after all. But can this really be what English football has come to?
Seeing one of its great clubs being used as a desert state’s outground?
When Newcastle’s supporters danced with delight at the exit of Mike Ashley and the prospect of Saudi oil money sploshing into their club 18 months ago, they may have envisaged the tie-up as a one-way street.
But the Saudis were never going to be shy in milking the deal for all it is worth, Pr-wise.
Last winter Eddie Howe took his squad to the kingdom on a warmweather training camp.there is no way on earth that would have happened outside the current ownership.
This season they will be playing in a Saudi green away strip. Likewise.
That will not be the end of it. It would be no surprise to see a Saudi player on Newcastle’s books at some point.
Nor to see Newcastle take a game of some description – probably a friendly but you never know – to the Middle East.
And the South Korea fixture isn’t likely to be the last Saudi international at St James’ Park.
The Newcastle project is a many-headed hydra. Buying the club was only step one on a long list of objects.