NEW CASTLE UNITED SUPPORTERS WELCOME £300M DEAL FROM CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN
By The Cry Of Faith
16th October, 2021
The takeover of Newcastle United in a £300m deal has been nearly universally welcomed by the club's supporters.
But some football fans are concerned over the involvement of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - because of Saudi Arabia's record on human rights.
What some people might not realise is that they probably use products backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) all the time.
Disney, Uber, Facebook and Starbucks are just some of the companies to have received hundreds of millions of pounds from PIF, which owns 80% of Newcastle.
"They are trying to diversify their economy away from oil and gas revenues," says football finance expert Professor Simon Chadwick, who is director of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School.
"What they are looking towards is generating a revenue stream that means Saudi Arabia is less dependent on oil".
Who else have the owners given money to?
Lots of companies you would have heard of that PIF has invested in big names such as Disney, Uber, Facebook, Starbucks and pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
But Simon reckons PIF also plans to invest heavily in wind power in the north east of England.
"What's very interesting is that the Reuben brothers [another part of the Newcastle takeover group] are also investing very heavily in renewable resources," he says.
"Owning a football club allows you to build a relationship with key stakeholders".
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