Read on Twitter
A thread on why the U.K government should step in and reject the purchase of Newcastle United by the Saudis: /1
Firstly, it should be noted that the F.A should recognise that the Saudis are not acceptable buyers of a football club. Revenue will be pumped in (great) but the owners (Saudi royal family) have stains on their personal morality and beliefs on women / LGBTQ etc.
However, as the government found many years ago, the F.A are ‘not fit for purpose’ so we cannot rely on them to uphold the values of our society.
As already discussed, the Saudi owners are part of the Saudi Royal Family. They set the laws in Saudi Arabia, where women / LGBT+ / religious minority’s are persecuted. Morally, it is not acceptable to allow them to own a British football club.
However, more importantly, the acquisition of Newcastle poses a massive national security risk to the U.K for two main reasons.
Firstly, there may come a time where the U.K government will apply sanctions against the S.A government. If we do this, the S.A can pull funding from Newcastle (as a football club and as a city), plunging one of the U.K’s major cities into a economic crisis.
This assumes that the S.A government will invest heavily in Newcastle as a city, but judging on previous ME owners (City’s), their economic influence will spread into communities.
This allows S.A a certain type of ‘soft’ power that is incredibly dangerous. If the U.K want to impose sanctions against a brutal regime, there is a very real threat of huge, direct economic damage being done to a section of this country.
Secondly, the S.A often look to extend their religious beliefs across the globe. After Germany opened its borders during the refugee crisis, the Saudis offered the build 8 major mosques across Germany.
This becomes an issue within the U.K where religion is already a contentious issue, with many communities being prejudice against the Islamic community. The building of infrastructure such as ‘mega’ mosques will further a feeling of distrust and damage religious harmony.
It should also be noted that SA’s strict version of Islam often coincides with what we deem in his country to be radical or at least borderline. Evidence of this can be seen through Saudi money being pumped into Indonesia and the cultural change they are currently undergoing.
This isn’t just a purchase of a football club. This has massive implications for our country in terms of morality and national security and should be stopped by our government. #NewcastleTakeover
@MiguelDelaney Enjoyed reading yours and Holt’s opinion on the takeover - echo your thoughts but with an added opinion on why it becomes a national security threat.
@JoStevensLabour this situation requires urgent action - please read this thread and protect our football clubs and country by raising this with the appropriate people.
