AFP, Riyadh :
Football-loving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is intent on burnishing the image of conservative Muslim Saudi Arabia and he has taken a big step forward with the purchase of Newcastle United, experts say.
“MBS”, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, joins fellow Gulf royals in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with the Newcastle deal, a fast track to soft power and greater acceptance in the West.
Amnesty International immediately accused Saudi Arabia of “sportswashing” its human rights record, and the fiancee of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, called it “heartbreaking”.
Many Newcastle fans were jubilant, however, savouring the prospect of a cash injection from the world’s biggest oil exporter as they await their first major title since 1969. Some donned Saudi headscarves and robes as they celebrated.
Prince Mohammed is chairman of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which leads the consortium that is reportedly taking an 80 percent stake in the English Premier League club.
It is just the latest big move by a resource-rich Gulf monarchy after the UAE bought English champions Manchester City and Qatar snapped up Paris Saint-Germain. Qatar will host the Middle East’s first World Cup next year.
Mohamed Mandour, a Paris-based journalist for the Sportsdata data service, said Saudi Arabia had a “political and economic objective” in targeting Newcastle.
