It hasn't increased visibility of internal Saudi politics. The world still sees MBS and Saudi through the lens of the Khashoggi murder.
Newcastle owners sanction the murder of 7 men for sit-in protests
- Thread starter DatIrishFella
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So not through the lens of the Newcastle ownership?
The world sees Newcastle through the lens of Saudi ownership, but certainly don't see Saudi Arabia through the lens of owning some wee club in the northeast. Therefore this is all apart of MBS' broader reputation laundering project to recover from Khashoggi, which includes hoovering up European players to play in their league and buying the professional Golf league.
So buying Newcastle United, LIV Golf and Saudi GP has not changed people's opinions of the Saudis? How is it sportswashing if this increased exposure is intensifying the attention and criticism of the regime??
Why is no-one going after Lewis Hamilton, Ronaldo, Benzema, Kante, Neves etc. for selling their souls to that horrible regime?
Um, no it does not. What do you base that on?
Because it is now the defining thing about Newcastle. Just like City.
What Abizzz said. Newcastle is now viewed as little more than vassal club of the Saudi regime. Their fans get massive investment and purchased success, and the Saudis get to add Newcastle into their growing sportwashing portfolio to rehabilitate MBS' image following Khashoggi and a number of other calamitous mistakes he made early in his "reign".
Newcastle are owned by PIF.
PIF also has investments in:
- Uber
- Capcom
- Electronic Arts
- Take Two
- Blizzard Activision
- Boeing
- Citigroup
- Live Nation
- Disney
- Bank of America
It's not about taxiwashing or videogamewashing or aircraftwashing or socialmediawashing or bankwashing, etc. It's just about economic diversification. Because everybody knows that owning Newcastle is going to do feck all to change Saudi Arabia's reputation. If this was about MBS, you'd see him at matches. But you don't.
The reality is not one of middle eastern supervillains with nefarious schemes to brainwash the masses and spread their tentacles of influence into the west. For them, it's a simple case of chasing profits on investment.
I'd argue that Arsenal's stadium being called the Emirates is far more sportswashing-y than any prospective ownership, because it's name of a country on the tips of everyone's tongue week-in week-out. That's done loads to normalise the UAE in this country. Does sponsorship from the middle east also need to be banned?
And Mohammed Salah being a star at Liverpool led to Egypt becoming popular in that city. Should we also discourage buying foreign players from problematic countries?
Obviously, I'd answer "no" to both of those questions. Because sportswashing isn't a thing.
I wonder what's the difference between a football club and a fecking random company. I'm sure capcom fans fill the streets in celebration every time they win game of the year or whatever. Those who want to sports wash play with these emotions and have otherwise sane people defending them for free, so comparing football to air companies or banks is not even whataboutism, is speaking a different language altogether.
Interesting that Greenpeace have combined sportwashing and greenwashing as one.
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I'm sorry but this really is bullshit. If anybody is going to form a positive impression about the Saudis just because they own a football club, it says more about them than the Saudis. It really is a ridiculous premise. Half of the Premier League's American owners endorse the GOP and probably the NRA too. Frankly, I don't see much difference between the US and KSA...they're both completely reprehensible regimes albeit for different reasons.
I've seen nothing to suggest that Newcastle United is becoming under the influence of the Saudi regime. Nobody's complained about the Golf or the Grand Prix....yet Newcastle United is a big problem. It really is just a convenient way to virtue-signal whilst at the same time ignoring everything else going on.
Newcastle are only one of Saudis sportwashing projects. The acquisition of CR7 and his IG account, randomly buying up quality European players, and buying the PGA are all part of the cumulative equation.
Will be interesting to observe the rhetoric when the World Cup goes to North America in 2026. Wonder what they'll be doing to clean up their image and promote the US as a happy, wonderful, safe, harmonious place to be.
So who is to blame then? The Saudis....or the players going along with it? As I said before, sportswashing only works if people allow it to? You can't blame the Saudis or any other perpetrator for that matter.
Hilarious you're looking for answers to questions when you refused to answer ones yourself.
We've already had a golfer gloss over 9/11 and tell the families of the victims they should move forward with forgiveness because, you know, they want what's best for the game of golf. This shit is absurd but this is where we are.
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Its a 3 country WC, so that narrative won't work - espcially given that each are democracies, not theocratic dictatorships.
The players obviously don't care since they're trying to maximize their earnings before they retire.
Fans certainly do, which is why so many are questioning whether its the correct thing to do in exchange for wheel barrels full of cash to buy our way to glory.
I have been very vocal about my opinions about the development of F1. Golf I don't follow or care for.
As for Newcastle for the foreseeable future every signing will sign because of the new owners. Every manager etc. too. What they will win they will win because of that owner.
If you can ignore that then fair enough. But don't go talking about people who can't as if you had some clue about those people.
I refuse to spend $1 with any Murdoch organisation. I also didn't watch any of the last World Cup, barring 5 mins or so of one game that happened to be on free-to-air TV when I sat down (we sometimes leave the TV on for the dogs when we go out).
So you're saying...what about the US?
How novel.
Any of ye use petrol? You're co-conspirators in the rush to the bottom then so get away with your moral grandstanding
Doesn't make any difference. I guarantee you that people will be questioning whether it is safe to go to the US and the promoters will be downplaying the gun crime and racism etc., giving off the impression that America is a wonderful, safe and welcoming place to go to.
If that ain't sportswashing, to use your definition, I don't know what is.
Fair enough...then I can fully respect your contribution to this debate. Respect to you.
Yeah but we're not talking about the US. This thread is about Saudi Arabia and Newcastle, and how sportwashing is a part of the Saudi strategy to rehabilitate their image after the Khashoggi murder and MBS' other antics over the past decade. Whether they like it or not, Newcastle are now a part of that story because they are inextricably linked with the Saudi government.
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In the case of Murdoch I despise their stance on just about everything and their influence is utterly insidious. In the case of the last WC I don't think I took a conscious decision not to watch it because Qatar got it (although that was part of it) or if I just couldn't be bothered with an event that is so devalued by it being given to the country with the biggest bag of cash, even if it meant fecking up all European Leagues to make it work.
Wow, so you won't answer simple questions but others have to hand in a CV for you not to disregard their points? Bizarre.
Chatting shit again. I think I made myself perfectly clear. And you're going to look very stupid crying sportswashing here and sportswashing there, whilst at the same time lapping up everything the Saudis have to offer.
Shame on Eddie Howe and all those Newcastle players. We should all boycott the games. Talk about deflection...never mind what we're doing we're just talking about those bad guys in the Middle East.
I thought this thread was about the Newcastle owners sanctioning the murder of 7 men. I can't for the life of me see how that puts them in a positive light? How that can be seen in any shape or form as sportswashing is completely beyond me.
What am I lapping up exactly?
I'm referring to the proverbial 'you'. People shouldn't be going after Saudi Arabia, they should be going after Eddie Howe, all the Newcastle United employees, Lewis Hamilton and all the F1 people, all the LIV golfers, Sky Sports and all the other sports broadcasters who televise and broadcast their events. They're the ones who are doing the 'sportswashing'.
Huh? So those taking Saudi money are responsible for sports washing but the Saudis who are paying the money aren't? What a very odd take.
And who are you personally going after then? Or what actions are you taking about anything?
In a thread about Saudi state executions you want me to focus on Eddie Howe? That seems harsh and also a bit mad.
To be fair he does personally have to behead or hang people on demand.
It's quite a surreal take.
It was you and I do mean you this time and others bringing Newcastle United into it. They're either involved or they are not.
You people really need to make your fecking minds up.
Nobody brought Newcastle into the murders. They are not involved in the murders. Nobody said they were. You're having some sort of episode. Newcastle Owners is in the thread title and that's a fact. This is a football forum. It would be weird if it wasn't mentioned.
Sports washing works so well, people on here will pretend it doesn’t even exist.
Has to be wumming. They're all over the place with their response.