Newcastle United are about to join the elite. It has been the dream of every football fan, since about 2008, that their club would be taken over by a nation state. The hope has also been that that state would have so much money that they would be able to say… pay off the broadcaster beIN – itself owned by the state of Qatar – £1bn – over an ongoing dispute over piracy. That’s the kind of money, we are talking trillions of dollars, which means that that club effectively no longer has a limitation on spending. They can now and forever, spend money to buy players and coaches. Any component that doesn’t work out relatively quickly can be easily replaced. Losses on spending are no longer meaningful.
I’ve already heard Newcastle fans dreaming bigger than just better players and coaches; they want an upgraded training facility and one prominent fan voice (on the BBC Football Daily podcast) hoped that Saudi Arabia would invest heavily in the economy of Newcastle itself. And why not, Manchester City have invested in an entire “campus” in Manchester and let’s face it, Saudi Arabia are magnitudes more wealthy than Sheik Mansour. Or maybe they aren’t. It’s awfully hard to tell how rich these people are because in most cases their wealth is tied to the wealth of their nation. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia (run by HRH Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – colloquially known as “MBS”) is the vehicle which just bought Newcastle and that wealth fund has $430bn in assets while the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Sheik Mansour is on the board) is worth $650bn and the Emirates Investment Authority (Sheik Mansour is the chairman) is only worth a mere pittance at just $68bn.
Before 2008, people were simpler. They just wanted a rich benefactor to buy their club and dump mere millions of pounds into the transfer market and wage bill. Now they want a guy to helicopter in, rip down the Sports Direct advertisements, spend billions on players and coaches, and rebuild the entire economy of Newcastle on Tyne. Gosh, we were all so naïve back then.
I’m not going to get into the supposed morality of any of this. As usual, Andrew at Arseblog does a fantastic job breaking down the complexity of talking about this deal, detailing how many clubs’ supporters have some form of cognitive dissonance when it comes to our billionaire owners and sponsors. It’s easy to point to the human rights abuses of others and not see the log in one’s own eye. I believe that’s a quote from Psalms.
The only thing I have to add is that I’m sitting here thinking that from my perspective as an Arsenal fan, I’m feeling a sense of loss. Or maybe just resignation. For me, selfishly, this immediately means that there is another team that will join the clubs at the top of the pile, making it more difficult for us to get into the top four again, much less ever hope to the Premier League.
I don’t know why I feel so downbeat about all this. It won’t be impossible for Arsenal to compete at the top. There are examples of self-sustaining clubs who have done very well for themselves and I don’t just mean Leicester City. For some reason people in the media overlook Liverpool’s success over the last five years. Liverpool’s success wasn’t just bought at great expense to some sovereign wealth fund. They didn’t just “win the lottery”. There was some good fortune in selling Coutinho but they have also been very smart about who they buy and sell – Diogo Jota is their most recent example. They are an example of a club who live within their means and build success.
We have also spent £150m or something this summer – more than any other club in Europe (as long as you don’t count the crazy salaries that clubs paid for their “free” transfers). And while Kroenke isn’t putting money into the club, he’s not taking money out of the club. And whatever we think of him and how he’s managed Arsenal over the years, he’s no Mike Ashley.
But there is no question that Newcastle United will now spend billions of pounds buying the best players from all over the world. That will have the same effect as when Chelsea did it in 2003: it will distort the transfer market, making it that much more difficult for most clubs to buy good players, wages will also go up, and the league will become less competitive as Man City and Newcastle price everyone else out of the market.
Maybe I’m not feeling loss but just fatigue. We’ve done this before and it looks like we have to do this all over again. But now, instead of coming off an Invincible’s season, we are a mid-table club struggling to escape mediocrity.
I was just thinking that it would be pretty funny if they bought Harry Kane in January and then got relegated this season.
This is where football, and more specifically the PL has been heading. I’m now resigned to it. I’m not sure it makes for the best football or the best league, and maybe in the future it will lead to salary caps and follow the US sports model. There does seem to be a convergence happening between the European and US models.
I’d also take this more personally if I felt we were still a club that cared about ‘values’. I know that was always partly a marketing thing, but I liked it and for the most part I believe we lived up to it. I don’t think we do any more. Others will put this down as a reaction to my dislike of Arteta rather than the cause.
So anyway. We’re now where we were/could have been before Wenger, in terms of club turnover and status. So what do I want from the club? Good attacking football and playing the youth. Those are the minimum. We should be able to get European football semi regularly as well. That’s all that’s left. And if there’s no adherence to values, we can hope that maybe one of the other wealthy state funds will buy Arsenal one day too. (Kroenkes aren’t selling short of a HUGE payoff though)
As for the morality of it. I dislike the idea that any rejection has to start from the sporting context. Buying football is after all a better use of those funds than buying weaponry to unleash on the population of a neighbouring country. Stop those sales and other business and maybe then we can talk about buying a football club being a bad thing. Personally, I believe the reaction to it is less about the act and more about not being able to ignore our culpability, like we can do when it comes to politics.
Liverpool sold Coutinho in January 2018, so that is Qatari money via PSG and Barcelona’s windfall from “selling” Neymar in August 2017. So, at the end of the day, this oil money is insidious the way it filters down through the market. Liverpool invested well, but imagine if they’d have been stuck with Coutinho? Would they have ever won the league? Liverpool had made an offer for van Dijk in the summer of 2017, but it wasn’t until the Coutinho deal was done that they were able to get Southampton to relent in Jan 2018. Would Liverpool have had the money for Fabinho? Keita?
If there’s any hope, it’s in the fact that these sheik-run clubs are hit and miss with success. Man City was very inconsistent considering their spend until Guardiola showed up. There’s only one Guardiola, only one Klopp. I imagine Newcastle will get Antonio Conte in and then he can have all the money he’s ever griped about wanting to spend, and we’ll be treated to less than exciting 3-5-2 defensive masterclasses. But it’s the manager and the vision that counts the most, the money helps in getting the vision accomplished, but without a vision it’s just a parade of high profile managers buying whatever catches their eye.
Still, between this, the Super League (still not dead) and the obvious money grab that a biennial World Cup would be, football is being ruined.
The only hope I have is that no big star (also perhaps coveted by PSG, Man City, Man U or other money machine) will want to move to Newcastle. I know Manchester isn’t Shangri-La either, but Newcastle is a whole ‘nother level of blah. And sure money will talk, and some stars will go there, but I am hoping enough top stars will have options, and will chose London, Paris, etc. over Newcastle and that might limit the extent of the galactico squad they will ever be able to build. I know, I am being naive. I too still expect them to challenge for top 6 in a few seasons.
I do not think the wages will go up this time, because the market prices have already been set, and the new entrants only have to match the rate. They have already entered the market at considerable cost, and with a lot of information available (about players, coaches etc.), a rational outcome wouldn’t require inflation. The market is depressed and starving for cash, and the new owners will provide impetus and liquidity to the market. So, that means, Arsenal will have to be smarter, as they have had to be for the past 2 decades (losing their way in the last 8 years or so). The current situation is encouraging, and we have a couple of players for their immediate requirement, like Rob Holding, let’s say.
NUFC, for what its worth has a strong fanbase, so there is a readymade market for them, so lesser cost on customer acquisition, unlike Man City.
The British empire industrialized human rights abuse across the world. I do not think Saudi Arabia’s history with human rights will have too much bearing in this matter because in this post-covid current world – money speaks far louder than it ever did, and nobody out there is going to protest.
My only hope is that, it will lead to increased investment across the world as these corporations begin to compete for markets, which might lead to building of smaller economies around it. It would at least provide value to the people who lost their lives.
Personally, I guess, I am just going to switch off from football going forward, it stopped being fun since the Man City takeover, or come to think of it, Chelsea takeover. It stopped being about the game as an art and more about commerce. I guess its about the livelihoods and not about the game. If its about livelihoods, I had rather concentrate on my own.
MBZ (City/UAE) has always shown an ability to strategically think that appears to escape MBS (Saudi/Newcastle).
Where MBZ looked at the success of the Qataris long relationship with the US military and leaned into establishing a stronger bond with bases and the construction of the largest US military hospital outside of Germany, MBS went the other way, flirting with Putin and Xi. MBZ seems to have also learned from the mistakes of the Qataris. Rather than turning the the City club into a branding exercise for a country, he created City Group which allows the UAE to walk in and out of countries across the world, investing into areas of positive influence while sitting with leaders and speaking about more than just oil and gas. It’s a tremendous feat of soft-power use, rivaled only by China’s infrastructure investment throughout Africa, except everyone loves football more than government admin buildings.
On the contrary MBS has been a failure since seizing power in Saudi Arabia. His Qatari blockade with his 13-point demand list ended with no support and none of the demands being met. His beIN/beOut fiasco with a fine large enough to show contrition and re-enforce the strength of the Qataris relationship to Western companies is embarrassing and would harm future negotiating any upstart Saudi broadcaster would enter into. His purchase of the most expensive piece of art ever, which is also a fake. His 6.5 year long war in Yemen where the expensive toys and training of the Saudi military have been vastly exposed as subpar while a $100b has been flushed killing so many and losing to Iranian backed rebels, while also exposing the vulnerabilities inside the kingdom. This has had the opposite effect, the kingdom is not the central hub of power in the region as he had hoped and his bonafides as a military commander do not exist. Of course the brutal murder of Mr. Khashoggi, his Putin-poisoning maneuver to silence the critics which rather than frightening the global press into submitting to positive MBS coverage, made certain every MBS story begins by acknowledging he’s a murderer. It’s also created a travel shadow ban for him across most Western countries.
Now maybe the Newcastle thing becomes his success. Smart people with lots of money get together. Then the polar ice caps melt. The global current reverses, and the North Sea becomes the Mediterranean. Newcastle-upon-Mallaga. A slew of clubs across the globe become feeders for this new entity and we all sit back weeping as City and the Newcastle win everything forever.
More likely though, a 42 year old Ronaldo is bought from a Turkish club for a world record fee. Putting on the black and white striped kit he steps onto the pitch of St James Park and Casino, hobbles to the 6 yard box still chasing goal 1000, and we all sit bank and watch our own stupid mistake, the recently re-re-extended Granit Xhaka clatter through him, breaking Sergio Ramos’s record for red cards. We throw our devices in disgust and tune into @yankegunner’s new podcast dedicated to selling us pubic wax and toe fungal cream.
Fantastic comment. Thanks. You’re basically describing the “sportwashing” that Matthew Syed described 3 years ago and got hammered by Chelsea, City and PSG fans for pointing out.
That’s brilliant. Roman is also motivated by the ability to access an asset of value outside the joint checking account he shares with Putin. All the Oligarchs are. If you’re benefactor has a tendency to kill, imprison and or financially destroy anyone he falls out with you better have an exit strategy. Buy a half billion dollar boat, it’s not really your money, so if you can only recoup $400m on a sale you’ve gained not lost. Buy a football club in England and create a zero interest self-financed debt obligation pumping money into the club. if you sell the asset the new owner cures the debt. Buy art, foreign property etc etc. It’s all a form of laundering rubles in your joint account into euros, dollars and pounds for a rainy day escape fund.
The best part of that segment was when both studio hosts pivot with yea he might’ve stole the money to buy Chelsea but he put British football on the map and Chelsea fans seem to love him, and he loves the club too lol.
Let me ask has it ever bothered you that your stadium is named, The Emirates, serving as an advert for the benevolent and upright sole owners the Qatari government?
The commentary below does point to the hypocrital nature of our outrage. All these top clubs have blood money running through their organizations. We were always aware, so where does the responsibility lie to take a stand? Like as fans are we the problem if we continue to support if a club is taken over or does an institución like the premier league need create barrier for such an issue?
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/
“Let me ask has it ever bothered you that your stadium is named, The Emirates, serving as an advert for the benevolent and upright sole owners the Qatari government?”
Plenty about Arsenal bothers me and we definitely don’t hold any high ground on values anymore, so there’s no selective outrage on my part.
If Kroenke reached into his wallet and gave Arteta 250million more I’d still consider him a douchebag.
But I do laugh at Chelsea fans whitewashing Roman’s past and the fact their club had a 8 year run of unlimited spending with stolen money as if that had nothing to do with where they are now.
👌
lol
JAT, your comment is coming from a good place but you’ve confused your MBZs and your ‘MBS is a failure’ comment is honestly nuts.
1. MBZ more commonly denotes Mohammed bin Zayed. Although he would have given his blessing, it was Mansour who drove the football acquisition (note – he originally wanted to buy Arsenal); driven by a) he and his mates like football, and b) jealousy that little brother Dubai was the only place known by the West at that time. Mansour is not known to be Machiavellian; Mohammed is. For instance it was Mohammed who initially led and drove the Yemen invasion (MBS was both young and fresh, albeit willing partner).
2. MBS (understandably) is tainted in the West by Khashoggi in particular. However relative to his predecessors it shouldn’t be overlooked that he has absolutely transformed Saudi Arabia in the last 3 years and shows no signs of stopping. The previous Kings were too scared to take on the religious police – to the extent they wouldn’t even allow music in a (segregated) restaurant because the Mutawa said no. They also kept factions within the Al Saud family at bay by throwing money at them and basically maintaining the status quo & kicking the can down the road. MBS by contrast fought down his family as well as the religious police (for the first year or two there was a 50-50 chance he’d get a bullet in the head). There are no more religious police; no getting bumped off your flight because an Al Saud has just turned up arbitrarily at the airport and is taking your seat. Music plays loudly in (non-segregated) restaurants that women drove themselves to, after finishing their job. And if a man hassles them enough route he’s getting at best a fine and otherwise a night in the cell. All concepts we take for granted in the West but that 5 years ago were completely alien to Saudi and assumed would take decades to come, if ever.
Again I’m not pretending he’s a saint, but you’ve taken an incredibly narrow view (seriously, who gives a sh1t about the painting, which was anyway bought as a gift for MBZ for his new museum – an act which is in line with centuries old tribal practices when forging alliances), and to look at Saudi Arabia a mere 5 years ago pre MBS and today, you are looking at 2 different worlds. And to call those changes a failure is just nuts. He’s not there yet, but then Rome wasn’t built in a day…
Ps Tim, I share your sentiments exactly re the extra stone to the weight of fatigue
Hey David,
Thanks for the comment. I work with a guy (PhD in comparative literature, which is.. ) who is from the Sudan and has studied Saudi politics his entire life. I’ve spoken to him about MBS on many occasions and about Islam the tensions between Sunni and Shia and we’ve spoken quite a bit about football and why these countries are doing these things with football teams and the sort of battle between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (over stuff like the beIN sport thing and the wars in Yemen and other places which are causing some of these tensions).
Anyway, that’s a long way to say that I find him well informed on the topic and his take on the “reforms” that MBS has been enacting the last few years are very much token reforms and things that would have happened anyway in Saudi culture. What MBS is doing is taking credit for these changes as a way to appease the West, make it look like Saudi Arabia is modernizing, when it is very much staying the same. There’s no radical shift in power here to the people, the laws are still very much unfair and benefit the royal family, the royal family are actually brutal dictators.
But they let a few women drive now, so we think they are reforming.
Thanks Tim. He may be right but IMHO (I don’t have a phd, but I’ve been a very frequent traveller to Saudi (plus UAE & Qatar) for the last 20 years) his reforms are nothing to do with appeasing the West but everything to do with dragging his country into the 21st century and preparing his people for the beginning of the end of fossil fuels.
Yes many laws remain unfair and MBS & his father remain autocratic. But if anyone thinks an overnight switch to democracy is the answer, I would caution them to look at history, both recent and past. It is littered with examples – eg the Arab Spring; the Russian revolution; and also to consider how long it took democracy and human rights to evolve in their own country (even in the US, it’s not that long since black people weren’t allowed on a bus…).
The fact is that Saudi society is freer, happier and more productive under MBS, and societal change is continuing to happen on a daily basis. I disagree that these changes were going to happen anyway, otherwise they would have done before (and I don’t think you’ll find many people arguing they would have happened under Muqrin, Ahmed or even MBN, at least certainly not at this pace). So for my two cents, at least at this point in his reign, I personally put MBS more in the Napoleon III camp (a necessary autocrat to enact change) than an MBZ (no interest whatsoever in enacting change, but definitely vested interest in appearances to the West) – hence my replying to JAT in the first place.
Anyway, will leave it at that – as above in no way, shape or form am I arguing he is a saint, nor that human rights in his country are in any way comparable to some other, generally more western, parts of the world. I just prefer to judge in relative terms than in absolute.
Does anyone do sportwashing better than the US? Playing the national anthem before each game. Using military personnel and paraphernalia as part of the product. That this term doesn’t get applied to them just shows how successful they’ve been at it.
For decades now. Enabling both to whitewash the other in an annual self-regenerating marketing scheme. (Thanks the stars for relegation in football.)
Was raised in a family that served. My dad flew over Europe in 1943-44. Three brothers served, during Vietnam; one in country, conscripted. Being youngest by a margin, not one of them suggested I enlist. Late-60s and ’70s, one of the few periods where the US military’s collective reputation was exposed to the public by our media.
The 9/11 event and Bush (the lesser) administrations– gave birth to the symbiosis between NFL (mostly), MLB (somewhat), NBA (less so) and the US military. Was also the point where I soured on US pro sports. And found The Arsenal.
English football– IMO, is the one of the last realms where daylight sometimes peeks through on a sport at its highest level. Maybe not for much longer.
Change happens at a glacial pace. But water– always wins
If you want to play the “whataboutism” game, then how about the sportwashing that goes on now with China.
I’m not American and I don’t like the jingoism at (mostly) NFL games, but most sports leagues across the globe now actively avoid topics like China’s fairly blatant genocide of the Uyghurs in northwest China, squashing pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong or being censored for simply referring to Taiwan as a “nation”. By virtue of their economic influence on sporting finances they dictate public conversation and give cover to their anti-liberal agenda by getting Lebron James and the like to act as apologists for the CCP.
It’s not long before Kim Jong Un, Shavkat Mirziyoyev and bin Said Al-Said put in offers for Premier League teams once they realize how effective it is as a PR move.
I don’t comment very much on here. And I’m reluctant when it comes to politics but this is a forgiving blog.
There is no genocide of Uighurs. The numbers, population wise don’t reflect that. The myth of genocide is part of the same myth of white genocide in SA. A nonsense.
There’s no question the re-education camps exist. And questions of human rights abuses are right to raise. But it’s not right to ignore the issue of terrorism by Uighurs. ETIM was a designated terrorist organisation until the American Endowment for “Democracy” decided they hated the Chinese more or would be useful in the continuing PR war against China. There were terrorist atrocities committed by Uighurs in China and links to Uighurs and both Al Qaeda and ISIS have been shown in the past.
Many reports on the supposed issue genocide rely on the reports by one man Adrian Zenz. A German who sits on an anti Communist think tank in the US. He might be suspected of having an agenda. His methodology has been rubbished yet the 1 million myth persists. That would be a genocide. Human rights abuses in the war on terror are pretty much par for the course these days.
Hong Kong is China. The only people who think they should be a special case is the former colonial powers. It’s not their call and they really don’t help anybody by demanding that because the UK stole Hong Kong they deserve special treatment in perpetuity.
It just grates when Trump used to shout about China and ordinarily intelligent people fell into line.
The kicker being that most of those “patriotic”displays American sports franchises put on are actually paid for by taxpayers and not the clubs themselves.
I’ve found that the only way to enjoy football anymore is to ignore all of this kind of stuff. It’s only going to make me annoyed and take away a source of joy. But then I feel like an ostrich, and I’m not an ostrich. The real answer is I should stop watching football altogether but I’m already addicted. At least that’s my way of copping out and going on to support the whole rotten enterprise despite my better judgment. Cognitive dissonance all right.
PS: Ostriches don’t stick their head In the sand because they’re too dumb to know that that’s not really hiding. They do it because they’re looking for rocks to swallow to aid in their digestion.
“Swallowing rocks to digest the news that Newcastle United have just been taken over by a brutal dictatorship” is a pretty good metaphor.
“I don’t know why I feel so downbeat about all this. It won’t be impossible for Arsenal to compete at the top.”
This captured exactly how I feel, an overwhelming sense of loss. I will most certainly never seen Arsenal win the Premier League again, and it’s only a matter of time before one of the other traditionally big Clubs-but-since-fallen-to-mediocrity (like Liverpool and Aston Villa ) become objects for wealthy Middle Eastern states/their ruler launder their petrodollars and their reputations. I have been in denial about our middle table status, but now I realize for the next few decades, we are stuck there. Eventually, Liverpool will join us too.
In the next decade, the big four will be City, Chelsea, United and Newcastle.
Liverpool and Arsenal will maybe compete for the remaining two European spaces, but that will be it.
The “financial doping” wengerism has never seemed more apt.
All sport is now like this. Only money and power matter.
Fans don’t really care about the ‘values’ of sport, boring. The ‘authorities’ would sell their own grandmother for another few quid.
It’s finished really. I just need to be braver and give up watching the charade.
“Mikel Arteta has been named Premier League manager of the month for September.”
Isn’t October ‘Angina Awareness Month’?
All that this means is that Arenal (or any attractive club) could itself be subjected to a similar purchase attempt. And if/when that happens, Stan and Josh are going to do thing that makes most financial sense.
That’s when the rubber will meet the road for fans, because honestly the though of us competing on a level playing field excites a part of me — regardless of Liverpool. The march of football in that direction cannot be stopped. Stand still and get run over, or compete. I do not know of one City fan who cares a jot about anything but their footballing success.
Look Qatar has the world cup next year. And they had to do everything completely differently to accommodate that country.
I’ve always liked Newcastle as a club. They’re one of the best places in the EPL to watch a match and (prec-Covid at least), to have an after-game hang out. Forget about whether that part of NE is salubrious. Like Sunderland and Leeds (not of NEE) they’re a good sized club with a good pedigree that is arguably punching below its weight.
The oil money train has already left the station. FIFA/UEFA had an opportunity to get serious about financial doping, but they have missed that opportunity. It’s money money money, whether we want a sheikh or the Spotify mogul to take over.
“That’s when the rubber will meet the road for fans, because honestly the though of us competing on a level playing field excites a part of me — regardless of Liverpool. The march of football in that direction cannot be stopped. Stand still and get run over, or compete.”
The inexorable truth Claude. Still, City and Chelsea have won ‘only’ 4 of the last six PL titles. Yet, Pool had everything right in 2019. Had they beaten City once– instead of drawing (0-0) or losing (1-2)– they make it 50-50 vs the Oil-igarchs– since Leicester won the title in the last truly ‘anyone can win’ season.
I’m drifting.
I can’t put a date on it, but I suspect that the last Arsenal game I’ll ever watch is coming and might be coming soon. Heck, when the European Super League was announced I thought that was it, though it’s canning (ironically enough, at the hands of Middle Eastern entities playing geopolitics) gave me a minor stay of execution. Trying to live a decent life in an ecocidal society means cognitive dissonance is nothing new I guess, but football used feel like an escape from some of that. Now it’s the opposite: I’ve watched every world cup since Italia ’90, but the next one is to be hosted in stadia built by indentured servants, thousands of whom died of heat exhaustion in the process. I can’t watch that. And if I admit that the world cup is stained beyond recognition, why do I cling to a club that can shows no values deeper than a than a corporate PR position, playing in a league that knows the cost of everyone and the value of absolutely nothing. Arsenal feels like a phantom limb. When I’m watching Saka or Smith Rowe in full flight I can still just about convince myself that it’s still there, but I’m pretty sure it’s just delusion at this point. Maybe this will be the kick I need to set me loose? I’m not sure I’m ready quite yet though.
This totally resonates with me. Life is full of better things to do than watch sports, especially on your couch and by yourself which is how I always watch Arsenal. Wanting to see a man I revered succeed was what kept me going with it and now there’s a lesser version of him who I still like quite a bit but the difficulty increases every year, and the vultures keep circling, and the whole thing makes me tired but I can’t look away…
Nothing wrong in pulling for good guys to win at the end of a B-movie. Whole genre created and several generations of goers consumed them. Several cable channels dedicated– still. In reality, it’s great when it happens for you as a fan. Your team aligns. Players mesh or come of age. Manager or coach gets it all so.
Why I’m willing to invest my time and hope in Arteta at Arsenal. Possibility the good guys winning could occur. Possible it could all come together in another year or so. Maybe it does– or doesn’t. Feels right to get behind my team. Find joy in what can be enjoyed.
Going to fire up the NLD again today.
“the cost of everyone and the value of absolutely nothing”
this
Nice riff on Oscar Wilde
My only real take on this is that it shouldn’t be on Newcastle fans to be the ones burdened with explaining and justifying the morality or ethics of this takeover.
If this really is an issue….which it is….it should be the people in charge of the Premier League that have to answer these questions and justify the morality of it. They’re the ones who get to decide who’s allowed to own a Premier League football club not Newcastle fans.
I support one each of a football, basketball, cricket and American football team because I’m mad about sports, and sports feeds our tribal instincts.
It really isn’t complicated. For Arsenal, I lived near Highbury and the Emirates for 20 years. Arsenal was part of my community. The players, most notably easy to vilify ones like Ozil and Mustafi, did a lot of charitable work in the community, including at my daughter’s school in Islington. It helped that when I was beginning to embrace English football, Arsenal was winning league titles.
I loved Wenger, but this was never about him. Arsenal, not Arsene. When he was clearly past his best, I wanted him to go. Therefore I’m not attached to Mikel or some mythical project. I’m attached to the club.
If we get bought out by a Sheikh or Sheikhdom, I imagine that I won’t like it, but I will continue to support the club. I expect too that if that translates to success on the field, I will care less about who owns the club in time.
I like having something to root for, in the sporting tribal sense. I’ll ding them when they mess up or mistreat players (as this regime has done), and I’ll praise them when they get things right.
I have something with the club that can’t be broken — a community attachment, even though I have migrated. In impoverished Sierra Leone, guys who will never be able to scrape enough to see Arsenal in the flesh, buy cheap Chinese knockoff shirts, and huddle at the local grocery on match days to watch Arsenal on an old, fat back TV with a dodgy signal. The taxi driver has the Gunners crest painted on his vehicle (same for ManU, Liverpool, Chelsea etc). There’s them, and there are gooners, who proclaim that “i can’t watch Arsenal anynore because….”, and tune to another of the 600 channels on one of their 3 flatscreens.
I see my relationship with my sports team like marriage… a “through thick and thin” compact. To each his own, but the club doesn’t have to be perfect to get my support on the field. I suspect that in time, Arsenal will skate to where the puck is. And regardless of whether they do, im never withdrawing my support of the team… for any reason.
It would be useful to remember that it is the same Arab oil suppliers who, in 1973/4 destroyed the world’s economy because Israel had the temerity to defend itself against the unprovoked attack by 3 of its neighbours on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, when a good percentage of the population, including its soldiers and reserves were fasting and in the Synagogues praying.
The only reason why these counties now have such a stranglehold on the major economies worldwide is because of the the profits they started to make at that time.
If one of them comes for Arsenal, then I am many other fans will relinquish our support.
The countries that led the attack on Yom Kippur were Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Qatar and UAE are the main movers and shakers in football ownership. You should be careful about broad-brushing Arabs for their Arabness. The machinations of OPEC in 1973 and beyond were more complex than simply punishing the world for Israel winning the war. When you have power, you tend to want to exercise it.
Of course, both Arab countries have bad human rights records, and terrible migrant labor practices. But Israel isn’t a beacon of human rights rectitude herself. I wonder if youd be fine with an Israeli consortium doing the buying of Newcastle instead?
Make that “doing the buying of Arsenal instead?”
Claudeivan, with respect I think you you did not read my post.
I did not say that the arabs who attached Israel were the one who destroyed the world economy.
After the attack by the 3 countries you referred to and their defeat by Israel, Opec, under the control of the Saudis, and the other Arab oil producers, substantially increased the price of oil, almost overnight, and continued to up the price, thus having a disastrous effect on the world economy.
The sole reason why countries such as Saudi and UAE and the others have so much money is as a result of that.
They did not feel the need to “exercise that power” until then, did they?
I made no mention of human rights or anything like that as I knew someone would make a comment such as you have made and I did not want to get into an irrelevant debate about that subject.
Paul Kagame is an Arsenal fan? I want him to take over as the Arsenal owner, F the niceties so long as we win a trophy financed by a nation state!