1/12
I& #39;ve been reading things like this.... https://twitter.com/MichaelChopra/status/1289225064898940928">https://twitter.com/MichaelCh...
2/12
And this.... https://twitter.com/mjshrimper/status/1289882182115160065">https://twitter.com/mjshrimpe...
6/12
Nearly 11 years ago, I wrote this for Reuters....

East is East

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2009/12/31/the-business-of-sport-predictions-for-2010/">https://blogs.reuters.com/great-deb...
7/12
Over last 10 years, I& #39;ve also spent a considerable amount of time working in or with people & organisations from across ALL(!!!) parts of the Gulf region....
8/12
I am also from the North East. Was born & brought-up in the centre of a town there, in fact right opposite the ground (not a stadium or venue, we always called it a ground) of the local football club....
9/12
On Chopra& #39;s tweet: it& #39;s off the mark in many ways BUT his words are not without resonance & shouldn& #39;t be dismissed....
10/12
....the North East has long been suffering economic decline, which successive British governments have failed to address. That NUFC fans have had to look towards a foreign government, irrespective of the consequences, is a damning indictment of British policy failure...
11/12
....for NUFC fans targeting PL, Qatar etc, they are not to blame for last week& #39;s outcome. But for those targeting NUFC fans, they are not to blame for years of neglect which their region has to confront on a daily basis....
12/12
For all concerned, balanced assessment & solutions are required not judgement & condemnation. English football & Britain in general face harsh & inconvenient truths that must be addressed. Thus far, we haven& #39;t successfully done this. Trolling on Twitter is not the answer.
Some interesting responses to this thread. One question to ask is: where was GB government when all of this was happening? There can be no doubt that because a foreign state was involved, GB government was engaged with (& probably influencing) key stakeholders. Perhaps....
....tellingly, parliament is in recess, hence no PMQs. Downing Street can hide behind the summer & behind Premier League. However, such an absence of democratic influence or governance often goes with the territory of globalisation & cross-border transactions.
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