Saudi Arabia has been mocked in the English media after the purchase of Newcastle.
The British newspaper “Times” published a humorous cartoon of the purchase of the English club “Newcastle United” by the Saudi Investment Fund, which caused human rights controversy in British political and sports circles.
Arab 21 News Agency wrote: “This cartoon shows a picture of a sports club shirt in the shape of a prison in connection with human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, which was met with widespread interaction between human rights activists and users of social networking sites in the UK.”
The purchase of the club by the Saudi fund angered a number of British clubs who called for an emergency meeting. According to the British newspaper “Guardian”, the meeting was not aimed at breaking the agreement, but at the negative comments of English clubs about the contract.
Clubs have expressed concern that the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which owns an 80% stake in Newcastle, could hurt the Premier League. This change of ownership has also been criticized by human rights groups
The clubs have warned Premier League chief executive Richard Masters of the problems that will follow, and they want to clarify what has happened in recent months over how Mike Ashley was allowed to invest in Newcastle.
According to British press reports, Manchester City, led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, is one of the English Premier League clubs that has called for an emergency meeting after the Saudi acquisition.
In terms of human rights, the deal caused a great deal of controversy by international organizations, and before it was concluded, Amnesty International asked the union to investigate the horrific human rights case in Saudi Arabia.
The agreement shows a very clear effort by Saudi officials to whitewash the horrific human rights record by using the brilliance of the Premier League, Felix Jackson, the organization’s campaign manager in the UK, told AFP.
“Newcastle now has a new shirt,” said Sarah Lee Watson, a human rights defender and executive director of Democracy for the Arab World (Dawn), on Twitter.
Newcastle’s deal sparks international criticism As Sasha Deshmukh, head of Amnesty International in the UK, emphasized that the joy of Newcastle fans was comparable to the real tears of those who have faced injustice in Saudi Arabia. .
Human rights groups have acknowledged that civil rights activists in Saudi Arabia have been repressed and that anyone who criticizes Al Saud will be deported, detained or threatened.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has sought to improve its image as a sponsor of terrorism, a center for promoting extremism and takfiri ideology, and a repressive regime in the international community by buying popular media and football clubs in the United States and Europe.
