What price football?
Depending on your perspective, the news that Newcastle had been taken over by Saudi Arabia is either just another example of the market place pushing the game onwards and upwards or another nail in the coffin. of the once beautiful game.
The reaction of fans to the Saudi takeover of Newcastle is interesting. I am sure there are exceptions but generally it seems the Newcastle fans are dancing in the streets while pretty much every other football fan is tut tutting and shaking their heads. This includes of course the fans of Chelsea and Man City ;-). No doubt those same Newcastle fans were tut tutting themselves previously every time PSG, Chelsea or Man City bought a new player. I have even seen a fair few Liverpool fans wishing for a passing oligarch to take pity on us and bung us a few bob….
When I started to support Liverpool there was a strong local presence in the side but already they had a Scottish manager and Scottish players in the side. You could argue having a German manager and players from all over the World is just a natural progression or you could ask yourself if something hasn’t been lost along the way. I look forward to the day when Saudi Newcastle take on UAE Manchester for the right to face Man U….SA in the China Cup final….
I suspect that now Pandora’s box has been opened there is no going back and we will see ever more ridiculous sums of money change hands as Nation states seek to bleach their reputations or arm wrestle their neighbours for the right to be called top dog. All the while of course the fans will continue to grasp at straws to convince themselves that “their” club is different because it has a history and a soul firmly rooted in the local community.
A further aspect of the Newcastle take over is the morality question of Saudi Arabia and the Khoshaggi affair. This is difficult as it crosses the “keep politics out of sport” argument. As a Country we continue to have trade and have full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia so the FA would be taking a bold step if they went it alone. I would say if they wanted to go down that route (which they don’t) then they should perhaps start closer to home with a boycott of the World Cup or if they want to start with baby steps then they could perhaps take a more meaningful and robust response to racism in the game.
Recent Comments