On a visit to Newcastle in the north of England on 5 September 2023, ALQST’s Head of Monitoring and Advocacy Lina Alhathloul met local councillors, the media and football fans to talk about Saudi Arabia’s ownership of Newcastle United Football Club (NUFC), and urged them to speak out about human rights violations by the Saudi authorities. Her visit, which received wide attention, gave fans a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with a prominent Saudi activist and authentic voice from the Arab Gulf.
In the two years since the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over Newcastle United, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has significantly worsened. In 2022, 196 people were executed, the highest number in years, and more than 100 have been executed already in 2023. There has been a wave of decades-long jail sentences handed down for peaceful online activity, and a string of violations linked to the Neom megacity project.
In Newcastle, at an event hosted by NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS), Alhathloul insisted that it is possible for them to both “be happy about Newcastle winning and criticise what is happening in Saudi Arabia”. Addressing the Premier League’s claim that the Saudi PIF’s takeover of the club in 2021 was given the go-ahead because “legally binding assurances” had been provided “that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club”, Alhathloul described this as a “lie”, and explained that “the Saudi government is using Newcastle as a tool now to push their agenda”. Among other evidence that the PIF acts as an arm of the Saudi ruling authorities, ALQST has previously published a video interview in which PIF Governor Yassir Al-Rumayyan openly admits that majority decisions of the Board can be overturned by Saudi King Salman if the PIF’s powerful Chair, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disagrees with them.
Alhathloul went on to explain: “The fans have power. Even having a banner at a match which says ‘Free Salma al-Shehab’ – a PhD student at the UK’s Leeds University who has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for tweeting – can have an impact.” Al-Shehab is one of many activists to have been jailed by Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court solely for exercising the right to freedom of expression.
Ahead of Alhathloul’s visit, and prompted by plans for Saudi Arabia’s national team to play two fixtures at Newcastle’s St James’ Park ground a few days later, Newcastle City Council and local MP Chi Onwurah both condemned Saudi Arabia’s “atrocious” human rights record. Media coverage of the fixture against Costa Rica also drew attention to a protest staged by NUFCFAS prior to kick-off. After the game, it was reported that the Saudi Ministry of Sport had banned Saudi Arabia’s manager, Roberto Mancini, and the entire Saudi squad from speaking to the press.
ALQST and partner NGOs have been campaigning against the deeply disturbing trend of growing Gulf state ownership of English Premier League clubs. In August, ahead of the new season, they wrote to the Premier League and UK government ministers calling for such ownership to be phased out of English football. Since then, there have been reports of Premier League clubs asking the UK government to block nation states from owning English football teams and potentially make this part of a new regulator’s brief, echoing ALQST’s calls.
Amid the passion and excitement of top-flight sport, it is essential that wealthy state-backed Gulf investors are not allowed to “sportswash” their deplorable human rights records. Hence the importance of events such as that hosted by NUFCFAS for raising awareness about the ongoing abuses committed by the Saudi authorities, and ultimately pursuing justice for the victims.
