North of Tyne Mayor JAMIE DRISCOLL gives his opinion on Newcastle United’s takeover
POLITICS, like football, is full of opinions. Given the choice, I think most Geordies would have preferred Alan Shearer to find a billion quid down the back of the sofa and become Newcastle United’s new owner. Or Ant & Dec. Or, to be honest, anyone apart from Mike Ashley.
Ashley’s tenure at the club has seen increasing hostility between him and the fans, and a baffling decision to put Joe Kinnear in charge. Twice. Add in the fact that the Toon haven’t won a trophy since 1969, or even scraped a win this season, and the joy on Tyneside is to be both expected and savoured.
That 80% of the new consortium is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is behind the controversy.
Long-suffering Toon fans had to watch from afar as the on-off deal was played out behind closed doors.
The Premier League initially claimed the consortium did not pass the fit and proper persons test.
The Saudi regime’s human rights violations are well documented. As are those surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. And the UAE, whose nationals own Manchester City.
Amnesty International is consistent in its opposition to human rights violations. Yet as soon as the piracy and broadcasting rights around Saudi Arabia were sorted, it seems the Premier League now regard the same consortium as fit and proper owners of Newcastle United.
The concerns are genuine. The Saudi Crown Prince is reported to have sanctioned the murder of a journalist – there is no defence for this. Saudi Arabia’s bombings in the Yemen is indiscriminately killing civilians.
I spoke to a contact who works in the Middle East. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” he said.
“There’s a very colonial, almost racist view of human rights in the West.”
It was a British Prime Minister who lied to Parliament and took us into an illegal war that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and 179 British service men and women.
I don’t subscribe to the principle that two wrongs make a right, but when Newcastle fans ask, “Why are we the ones singled out?” they have a point.
Since the war in Yemen began in 2015, Britain has sold the Saudis £20 billion in weapons.
So why is the source of the money only an issue when it comes to investing in
Newcastle’s football club? The Saudi PIF owns half a billion dollars-worth of Disney shares, but no one boycotted Frozen.
Which is why it was so heartening to see new owner Amanda Staveley’s video statement.
First of all, it’s significant that the consortium has asked a woman to front it. Ms Staveley went out of her way to talk about the investment in women and girls’ football. It’s not well known in the UK that Saudi Arabia has a semi-professional women’s football team.
She went on to emphasise the ongoing support for the Rainbow Laces campaign. And on the subject of human rights, UN Special Envoy Philip Alston visited Newcastle’s foodbank, it’s good to see the new owners promising deep links with the Newcastle United Foundation.
One of my first investments as Mayor was a £2.6 million partnership with the Newcastle United Foundation to rebuild a youth centre that works with disadvantaged young people and gets them on a career ladder.
Saudi Arabia is in the midst of its Vision 2030. It is trying to divest its economy away from fossil fuels and into a modern, knowledgebased economy – and modernise socially, too.
Perhaps Newcastle is the perfect place to find partners to do this.
We were heavily dependent on coal. We’ve transitioned to a leading player in renewable energy. We have a burgeoning cluster in life sciences around the National Innovation Centre for Ageing. We’re bringing high-value work here in digital services, leveraging the National Innovation Centre for Data.
At the North of Tyne, we’re way ahead of job creation targets, with over 4,000 direct jobs in the pipeline. The UK’S first gigafactory is under construction here, and the second will be built a few miles away on Wearside.
NUFC’S new owners will, of course, want a return on their investment. I’d expect NUFC to be playing some exhibition matches in Saudi Arabia. But their return will come from building Newcastle as a global brand. That’s exactly in line with what I, my cabinet, and staff team are doing already – bringing international firms here, creating high-value employment.
We’ve always been proud of our region. Now we’ll see the giant awaken. Tyneside is set for a revival both on and off the pitch.