Mohammed bin Salman’s takeover struggle: should the Crown Prince be Newcastle United’s new owner?

There’s a lot of bad people in football and there’s probably no way to get rid of all of them. If we did Chelsea probably wouldn’t have won anything in the past 20 years -having John Terry and Ashley Cole in the same squad for a long time I’d say that they were asking for it really weren’t they? However, I think even Wayne Bridge would argue that the allegations stacked against Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, would be a disastrous scandal if proven true.

The Prince, who is reported to be buying Newcastle United, has been accused by the fiancee of murdered Saudi Arabian journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, of ordering his execution. Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, has written to the Premier League’s chief executive arguing that the league would be “tarnished” if the takeover is allowed to go through. I tend to agree.

For the good of the game, the takeover at St James Park should be put on hold

Like I said before, there is corruption in football. FIFA are an organisational joke and that’s putting it politely. The history of players who have committed terrible acts is longer than War and Peace, and new owners are constantly trying to make fast cash out of struggling clubs, such as Bury. Even Pablo Escobar’s drug money managed to find its way into football after the Medellin cartel started backing Atletico Nacional in the 80s. For the good of the game, the takeover at St James Park should be put on hold. Until we have confirmation of what actually happened, a potential murderer should not be allowed anywhere near a football club. Amnesty International have also criticised the potential takeover and have argued that Saudi Arabia should not be allowed to use the appeal of Premier League football to cover up their wrongdoings. However, with a precedent for corruption already in place in the beautiful game it is unclear what the fate of the North East club will be.

comment corruption football Hatice Cengiz Mohammed bin Salman murder allegations Newcastle United Takeover

Last modified: 4th May 2020