NUFC taken over by group that has absolutely nothing to do with the Saudi state, honest, guv.

BubblesNeverDies

As if the Sauds' human rights record wasn't enough - Google "does Saudi Arabia sponsor terrorism"

Kuchinghammer

I worked in Riyadh for eight years, five years living outside the nice Western Compounds. Also five years in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia is hated by other Gulf States, its that bad. But goodness and badness are on the same continuum, there is no single point where good changes to bad. In the end, it's how club owners treat the club and the local area that counts. So Leicester City owners seen as 'gooder ' than Watford's. I doubt whether the Sauds will ban alcohol and singing at St. James'Park, and they'll invest in the local area, so they'll be accepted. Part of me wants to add 'unfortunately '. I'm an idealist.

PrestonHammer

They execute kids, how can they pass the fit and proper person test?

thornburyiron

Judging by some of the comments I’ve seen on Newcs forums their owners could execute kids in Newcastle as long as they spend big on new signings and they start winning things.

IronHerb

Don't we call it collateral damage?

Fortuneseeker

Some fans are only interested in winning 🏆 and aren’t really concerned about how they do that.

ASLEFshrugged

The UK sells billions of pounds worth of arms to the Saudis and trains their police force, we're happy to take their money when it suits us.

PrestonHammer said:

They execute kids, how can they pass the fit and proper person test?

I don't think Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carries out the executions himself

IronHerb

ASLEFshrugged said:

The UK sells billions of pounds worth of arms to the Saudis and trains their police force, we're happy to take their money when it suits us.

PrestonHammer said:

They execute kids, how can they pass the fit and proper person test?

I don't think Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carries out the executions himself

But he could stop it.

PrestonHammer

By us I assume you the government, because I certainly don't want to be selling arms to anybody.

yoyo

The takeover was 80% financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, whose chair is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. You can bet his lumped considerable money in. Surely that 80% then amounts to a states interest, even if it is under his personal wealth? I admit I don't fully understand the premier league's guidelines.

MrsGrey

More obvious than that yoyo, the PIF actually is a government fund, explicitly. Never mind personal wealth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Investment_Fund

thornburyiron

Ignore the assurances on state finances that they gave the PL, what have they promised in other areas. I don’t trust the PL’s motives for allowing this one little bit.

thornburyiron

Good to see that the other 19 clubs have united in complaining to the PL demanding to know what has changed to make this now pass the fit and proper tests. The PL are of course adamant that it must remain confidential.
Corruption throughout if you ask me.

IronHerb

Human Rights are not part of the 'Fit & Proper' test.

thornburyiron

Nobody has said they are. The takeover was refused before and the clubs want to know what has changed to make them a fit and proper owner. It was state sponsored then and seems still to be so. The PL had told the clubs previously that they would keep them appraised of the situation but have not done so.

PrestonHammer

I think it's to do with the piracy issue, which it seems has been sorted. It still stinks to high heaven though.

MrsGrey

I take it to be the 'separation' .. as in, the money might be govt money but the PIF board is independent of the govt and does its own thing. This seems to be what the PL press releases etc have emphasised.

But, as PLF says, if they are separate, then the only (relevant to PL criteria) dodgy thing was the piracy. Which has, with these 'assurances', gone away.

thornburyiron

If they’ve given their assurances then everything is ok because their word is their bond and you can trust them implicitly.

ASLEFshrugged

PrestonHammer said:

By us I assume you the government, because I certainly don't want to be selling arms to anybody.

By us I mean the UK generally. We accept billions from various dodgy regimes with hardly a word. Russia, China, etc.

Saudi Arabia is no exception. If the price is right the UK will accept/launder it and look the other way.

yoyo

So does the rest of the world. Money talks. Money makes the world go around. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you're left or right, black or white, money has power and breeds hypocrites. Everyone's as bad as one another

ASLEFshrugged

That's capitalism, if you have the cash you can get away with just about anything

MrsGrey

Deleted the funny picture cos of the swearing in it. Sorry - would normally PM the person directly but can't remember who posted it.

Please be careful when you post things from other sites/sources that they don't break our site rules.

ScotHammer

MrsGrey said:

Deleted the funny picture cos of the swearing in it. Sorry - would normally PM the person directly but can't remember who posted it.

Please be careful when you post things from other sites/sources that they don't break our site rules.

Guilty as charged - apologies if it offended anyone.

claretandbluesky

I still don't know what the attraction is to them in Newcastle. I could see Chelsea appealing to Abromavich, a West London club, but toon army, stotty cakes and howay the likely lads, what's that all about?

alderz

claretandbluesky said:

I still don't know what the attraction is to them in Newcastle. I could see Chelsea appealing to Abromavich, a West London club, but toon army, stotty cakes and howay the likely lads, what's that all about?

Ready built 50k (ish) stadium, in an area with no local competition. I feel like that has to be part of it

whupathman

they are using the club and local connections to look at off shore windfarms etc to diversify their energy portfolio and make us even more reliant on them for our power requirements

OutcastLondoner

alderz said:

claretandbluesky said:

I still don't know what the attraction is to them in Newcastle. I could see Chelsea appealing to Abromavich, a West London club, but toon army, stotty cakes and howay the likely lads, what's that all about?

Ready built 50k (ish) stadium, in an area with no local competition. I feel like that has to be part of it

And a strong support base and international reputation. Newcastle are one of those clubs people around the world know about you find fans in surprising places - we're the same, so are Leeds (sorry to who this offends).

Or maybe they're just fans of Santiago Munez

PrestonHammer

ASLEFshrugged said:

The UK sells billions of pounds worth of arms to the Saudis and trains their police force, we're happy to take their money when it suits us.

PrestonHammer said:

They execute kids, how can they pass the fit and proper person test?

I don't think Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carries out the executions himself

Adolf Hitler didn't either.

whupathman

Newcastle's rival is no longer Sunderland, they are now, PSG, Madrid, Manure, Citeh, chavs and Amnesty international

MrsGrey

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59024191

Teatowels are back on the menu at Newcastle, apparently.

Nice to see the new owners are embracing the great British Boris tradition of the U-turn.