There is something bone-crushingly ironic about a Newcastle fan in an ad hoc keffiyeh brandishing a bottle of booze [0.26].
The oil-rich state that has bought the English club is a poster child for medieval barbarity.
In recent years, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 shone the spotlight on the nature of the Riyadh regime.
Warning, the details in this BBC report of his murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is highly graphic.
Unsurprisingly the character of the new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman became the story after this atrocity.
It was clear that he needed some positive PR.
This genuinely evil man is the disturbing featured image in this piece.
These events cannot be taken off the table when looking at the real reasons behind the acquisition of Newcastle United.
The announcement that the club had new owners ushered in a banquet of succulent lamb on Tyneside.
The local media and the city authorities gushed at the fantastic news.
The fans were giddy with excitement to be rid of the hated owner.
In this podcast, Ashley is referred to as a “tyrant”.
Oh, dear…
However, these members of the Toon Army do not seem to be that bothered that a murderous rogue state now bankrolls their beloved club.
“From a media point of view, just fuck off, if you’re listening to this and you’re thinking of ringing me about human rights, fuck off, we don’t care.” [20.00]
This is a level of snarling amorality that would not be out of place at Ibrox.
Of course, some Newcastle fans have not misplaced their moral compass.
This one certainly doesn’t miss.
It is a smart move that the new owners are fronted up by a woman.
I doubt that Crown Prince Bin Salman would allow such an event in his
misogynist kingdom.
This piece by David Conn in the Guardian is certainly worth your time.
For the avoidance of doubt, this is much more than a football story.
Hatice Cengiz, who was set to marry Khashoggi, has slammed the deal calling it “heartbreaking”.
Of course, NUFC will now enjoy lavish investment in the playing squad, and that is all that the vast majority of the fans care about.
Off the field, I would not be surprised if the Castore kit deal is bought out now to remove any vestige of Ashley from St James’ Park.
On one level, I get it.
I was part of a frozen vigil outside Celtic Park in 1994, waiting for the Rebels to tell us that the war was over.
The Bunnet represented something much better than the old board.
The NUFC fans want the best for their club.
However, it shouldn’t be a moral dilemma to choose between the House of Saud and the House of Fraser.
Dear reader, if this happened to Celtic, I would be heartbroken.
Today, my thoughts are with those Newcastle United fans who know that football is not a matter of life and death.
However, if Mohammed bin Salman decides that you are the wrong kind of human in Saudi Arabia, then your life can be brutally short.
Rainbow laces, anyone?
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These are the times we live in. Food bank Britannia, huddling round the last dying gasp of Russian gas, burning cheap Chinese plastic in power stations, wondering where the shops have gone and why the supermarket shelves are empty, baring her breast to suckle billionaire mass murderers. Down to the last jerry can of hoarded petrol and wiping her arse on the Daily Telegraph while bum-face Boris and his chums pick her pockets of the last crumbs of imperial sugar. But, hey ho, never mind. There’s Strictly on the telly, Wonga loans and cheap cider. That’ll take your mind off the suicidal nurses, the dying planet the gun-toting teenagers on the county line. Well done the celebrating Geordies. As noted above, you really are Thatcher’s children.
Think you are missing the role New labour played in war, creation of the refugee crisis, building up China with their Global economy and even worse, the SNP with devolution etc.
While they were no doubt good, their intentions lead us down the road to the economic and social hell in which we find ourselves today.
New Labour and Scottish devolution are to blame for all the ills of the world, what on earth are you on. So free market economics espoused by Thatcher, Reagan and eventually by the EU did not lead to the bank crash of 2008 and while it continues will lead to another bank crash in the not too distant future. The present UK government are now leading us down the path of a supercharged free market economy with no safety net. This is a future Scotland didn’t vote for in 2016 but because the majority shat themselves in the Independence referendum of 2014 we’re stuck with it. I do agree that Blair has a lot to answer for in regards to what has happened in the Middle East since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 which has killed millions and created a massive refugee crisis.
You seemed to have answered yourself with your last sentence but I will reply anyway. Blair and his mandate had a great opportunity to rectify much of Thatcher’s damage but chose not too. In the long run the refugee crisis probably fuelled Brexit and all the problems we still have to face being “Little Englanders” by association or otherwise.
It’s the equivalent of a football manager claiming I set out the team the way the previous manager did so it is really his fault.
I think we agree more than disagree a case of cross wires. The vilification of immigrants by Farage, anti-EU Tories and most of the media was a disgrace that along with the lies on the side of a bus swung the balance Brexits way. We are now seeing some of the damage and theirs more problems in the pipeline.
May I had, that Blair and New labour is the reason the Labour Party is destroyed and why we do not have an viable alternative to the evil that is the Conservative Party.
They were celebrating getting their club back wtf????
Phil the 1936 Olympics comes to mind. How many of the Great and the Good were O K with that? We live in a fucked up world when this can happen—— and we thought petty criminal King (in comparison) was not fit and proper! He is a saint when set beside these people. I wonder how this will go down in Yemen where the Saudis ( with our support) are engaged in genocide——- fucking bastards!!!!!!
Rainbow laces?
I doubt even an out of work Bungle Zippy and George would wear those as mascots at Newcastle now if asked Phil.
It’s the way of all gangsters, they long for respectability once they have the money.
I find the celebrations in Newcastle about this utterly depressing… it shows how fickle fans are in that they will cast all or any principles aside when corrupt foreign millions arrives promising domestic and European success….. utterly depressing.
Even more depressing is hearing ‘some’ Celtic supporters wishing it was their club.
There truly are no morals or principles left in football. The power of dollars, euros, ryals and rem etc take priority and how or where those funds are sourced is a question not for the asking of whether it is the FA, the Premier League or the supporters.
As I thumb-type Scotland have just won against Israel …. A result I would normally celebrate. But yet again there is a total absence of due diligence in Scotland from SFA, government, players and supporters as they all rejoice in extending the opportunity to play in a sporting competition in Qatar.
I don’t think I need to highlight the problems I see in that endeavour.
Utterly depressing.
As for the ‘Kingdom’…
I have many personal experiences of its ‘unique’ ideology while working there as a young engineer in the early to mid 90s. I have travelled and worked in nearly every continent but my stints in Saudi Arabia left me with an uneasy fear and disgust I have never Felt elsewhere. In my first 4 month spell in the Saudi Gulf cities near Bahrain and as an unattached single employee at the time I lived in a city centre company fiat rather than a family oriented compound like the married employees. It meant that I was a bit more exposed to and likely to see and experience some of he ‘uniqueness’ of the place.
One of those was to get caught out for a walk on my afternoon off in what I thought was a gathering crowd heading for a football match (ground nearby) – pretty much the only group entertainment option available… (and all male of course) .
This assumption was an error and in fact it was a group gathering to ‘enjoy’ a public execution by beheading in one of the cities open squares. As I turned and basically fled back the way I’d come there were a few trying to steer me with the crowd as though it was something I should witness as a visitor. Quite a chilling experience and turned out to be a regular thing. I subsequently found out that the poor woman victim(and is often the case I think) who was beheaded was a foreign maid servant who’d been accused of a serious crime but had had no trial. I could go on…
Anyway….. I’m sure those Magpie fans won’t think of things like that as they try to qualify for the Champions League.
I worked with a man who had similar experiences to yourself. It haunted him.
I don’t see much difference between the Saudi monarchy and the UK one who will spend £250m of poor tax payers money to decorate just one of their Palaces, while their parliamentary puppets try and push through a £400m yacht for them…meanwhile workers queue up at food banks to feed their children and 1000s live on the streets.
My dad, God rest his sole, said we’d all end up queuing at soup kitchens the day that evil woman Thatcher came to power, that was the start of the old established reasserting themselves after a brief few decades of the poor fighting back.
Lizzy saz coburg might not own a foitball club but she owns us, at least she thinks she does.
Up the Republic
Soul not sole
https://twitter.com/CelticIg/status/1446403565375954944
As this twitter poll (1284 respondents) shows amorality isn’t just reserved for the “Klan” . Personally I would never step foot inside Celtic Park again if this happened. No doubt many of those who would lay down the red carpet scream abuse at the Board’s Tories and wave Palestinian flags which just goes to prove it doesn’t take many pieces of silver to sell out , around 30 is my estimate.
Well, football ceased being “the people’s game” a long, long time ago.
The Saudis have just brutally reinforced that reality.
It’s the oligarchs’, oil states’ and dictators’ game now. 😦
Thought you were going to sing there Bob (OG), long, long, time ago, forgot the rest. 🤣🤣🤣🇮🇪
Keep at them Phil
TAL