London (AFP)
Change of era for Newcastle: a Saudi fund officially seized the north-east England football club on Thursday after long negotiations and despite opposition from human rights associations.
"We are extremely proud to become the new owners of Newcastle United, one of the most famous clubs in English football," Saudi fund boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan said in a statement.
The club, owned for 14 years by British businessman Mike Ashley, is now owned by a consortium comprising the Saudi investment fund, PCP Capital Partners and brothers David and Simon Reuben, a takeover that has received the green light of the Premier League.
"Newcastle are the best team in the world and we want to see them win top trophies in England and Europe. Getting those trophies means investment, patience and time," Amanda Staveley, club manager, explained Thursday.
The body which oversees the English Championship had however been arrested earlier Thursday by Amnesty International, the NGO being alarmed at a takeover by a sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia, and describing the human rights situation as "disastrous "in the country ruled de facto by Crown Prince Mohammed ben Salman.
The Saudis had already tried to acquire the "Magpies" in the summer of 2020, without success, handicapped by the personality of the crown prince, accused of multiple human rights violations.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley (tie) before the kick-off of the game against West Ham at St James Park on May 24, 2015 Ian MacNicol AFP / Archives
The second attempt is finally the right one, the club being "sold to the consortium with immediate effect" according to a statement from the Premier League, specifying that the organization has "received legally binding guarantees that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control the Newcastle United club ".
- There for the "long term" -
The sale, which amounts to around 300 million pounds (333 million euros) according to British media, represents a "long-term investment" according to the CEO of PCP Capital Partners, Amanda Staveley, which adds aiming for "major trophies".
Returning to the Premier League in 2017 after a year in the second division, this popular club from the north-east of England is in 19th place after 7 matches, while the club's last heyday dates back to the 1990s, when the training led by coach Kevin Keegan and striker Alan Shearer struggled unsuccessfully for the league title.
The boss of the Saudi Fund (FII) Yasir Al-Rumayyan, January 27, 2021 at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh FAYEZ NURELDINE AFP / Archives
Newcastle entered the circle of clubs dependent on the immense fortunes of the Gulf countries, after Manchester City came under the Emirati flag in 2008 and the takeover of Paris Saint-Germain by the Qatari investment fund QSI in 2011.
Saudi power thus marks a little more its presence in the world of sport, while the country has hosted major car races such as the Dakar rally since 2020, or soon a round of the Formula 1 world championship, a way of responding to the ambitious policy of its regional rivals like Qatar, hyper-present for a decade with the culmination of the organization of the 2022 World Cup.
- Human rights against "full pockets" -
The tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar had already appeared on the sports field, when the Qatari channel beIN Sports accused Saudi Arabia of being behind BeoutQ, a system of pirating sports images.
The recent resolution of this incident had revived rumors of redemption, until formalization Thursday.
While former club players ("Yesssssssss. We can get back to hoping again," Shearer tweeted) expressed their joy and hundreds of supporters gathered around the legendary St James' Park to celebrate the takeover , the eruption of such power into English football also worries human rights activists, explicitly targeting "MBS".
Before the officialization of the takeover, Amnesty International had called on the Premier League to tighten the criteria to be able to acquire a football club in England.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman seen on December 9, 2019 in Diriya, during the heavyweight fight Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr Bandar AL-JALOUD Saudi Royal Palace / AFP / Archives
"Instead of allowing people involved in serious human rights violations to enter English football simply because their pockets are full," the NGO had "urged the Premier League to change its criteria (for selection ) of the owners and directors "of its clubs.
Ben Salman has been named by Turkish and American officials as the sponsor of the October 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
"MBS" was later said to take responsibility as leader for the murder, however denying any knowledge of it before it was committed.
© 2021 AFP