Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee’s fury at £305m Newcastle takeover by Saudis

The fiancée of the Saudi journalist allegedly murdered on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today accused the 超级联赛 of allowing his regime to wash blood from its hands by allowing the sale of Newcastle United to a consortium majority-owned by the Gulf state’s $500billion wealth fund.

鲍里斯·约翰逊（Boris Johnson） is under pressure to speak out about the takeover and shed more light on claims bin Salman had warned him that Anglo-Saudi relations could suffer if the bosses of English football didn’t approve the £305million buyout of Mike Ashley.

The UK’s makes around £4billion-a-year in trade with Riyadh, including around £1billion-a-year from weapon sales, and yesterday’s deal coincided with the Saudi Arabia lifting its four-year ban on beIN Sports, 这显示了英超联赛 (英超联赛) 海湾比赛.

Critics say the ‘sportswashing’ deal has made the murderous state’s Crown Prince the de facto owner of Newcastle and further proves cash is king in football above concerns about 沙特阿拉伯‘s treatment of women, LGBT people and minority groups as well as its war with Yemen.

Today Hatice Cengiz, 与贾马尔·卡舒吉订婚的土耳其女人, 记者被一个打击小队杀害 15 沙特阿拉伯特工在华盛顿邮报批评本·萨勒曼后, 说这笔交易“太伤心了”, 加: “这对纽卡斯尔和英格兰足球来说真是一种耻辱”. 她说英超: “他们不应该让他们洗 (血液来自) 他们与这项业务的合作. By giving the green light to those linked with 犯罪, 这会杀死更多的人, 价值观和人权，他们应该考虑一下. 他们应该和我站在一起, 和贾马尔’.

她补充说: ‘Everyone knows the government [in Saudi Arabia] controls everything. The current Saudi regime has a crown prince who is managing everything in the country. The point is this… how do the players, the fans and the director of Newcastle accept this situation? I am really sad about this point. I guess money is more important than anything in this life.’

Khashoggi 先生于 10 月被邀请到他的国家驻伊斯坦布尔领事馆 2, 2018 for an appointment to pick up documents that would allow him to get married to his Turkish fiancee Ms Cengiz, who had been waiting outside. 他从未走出去.

一队 15 Saudi agents had flown to Turkey to intercept Mr Khashoggi inside the consulate. He was drugged, suffocated with a plastic bag and then dismembered with a bone saw by the 15-man Saudi squad. His remains were stuffed into suitcases and have never been found. A UN investigation later found ‘credible evidence’ linking Khashoggi’s death and attempts to cover it up to Prince Bin Salman.

圣詹姆斯外面有疯狂的庆祝活动’ Park yesterday when the deal was announced but MPs and human rights groups have furious about the regime change, which makes Newcastle the richest club in the world backed by a wealth fund worth at least $500billion and predicted to be break through the $1trillion mark by 2025.

支持者扔啤酒, 把茶巾放在他们头上, dressed as sheikhs and waved Saudi flags to celebrate the end of the hated Ashley era, rumours his manager Steve Bruce could soon be sacked and new hope they could win their first major trophy in England since 1955.

The takeover went through fourteen months after the Gulf state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew their £305 million bid to buy the north-east club from Sports Direct owner Mr Ashley following the Premier League’s failure to give regulatory approval.

EPL受到了广泛的批评，并被要求披露“具有法律约束力的保证”’ 它说它在接受 PIF 声称它是独立于极权国家之前收到的, 它的统治王室不会干涉, despite the Crown Prince bin Salman (MBS), 成为PIF的主席.

Newcastle United is now run by money from a tyrannical regime who human rights groups believe will exploit the club to polish its murky global image, 尤其是对批评者的谋杀和监禁以及与也门的持续战争, 那里的人口被轰炸和饿死.

Financier Amanda Staveley, the former girlfriend of Prince Andrew who is the British face of the deal, insisted last night: “我们的合作伙伴不是沙特政府”, 尽管 PIF 资助 80 per cent of the deal. 艾伦·希勒, 俱乐部最伟大的球员，新东家希望与凯文·基冈一起成为俱乐部大使, said today that it was a ‘special day’ 为俱乐部 – 但增加了: “我知道必须就人权问题提出问题, 重要的是我们不要把它们刷到地毯下面”.

In the absence of Boris Johnson, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today insisted that the deal had passed the ‘very clear’ owners and directors test used by the Premier League.

'如果人们通过了那个测试, 正如规则和法律一样, 人们有权投资俱乐部,’ 他说, 加: ‘My understanding in this case is that there has been a complete separation between the country and the business that is involved so there is no direct control’.

As Newcastle fans celebrated and human rights groups fumed, it also emerged today:

• Labour leader Keir Starmer says he is ‘concerned’ by takeover – and calls for independent regulator for football – but refuses to say deal should have been stopped;
• Club legend Alan Shearer admits he is delighted the Ashley era is over – but acknowledges human rights issues are a ‘worry’ and ‘it’s really important that we don’t brush them under the carpet’;
• Figurehead Amanda Staveley and non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan arrived at St James’ Park today amid rumours manager Steve Bruce is on the brink of the sack;

While their fans are largely jubilant, their club Newcastle United is at the centre of a political storm today after a Saudi-Arabian backed consortium bought the 超级联赛 来自迈克阿什利的俱乐部.

萨沙·德什穆克, 国际特赦组织英国首席执行官, 说过: “我们可以理解，许多纽卡斯尔联队球迷将把这视为美好的一天, 但对于那些关心英格兰足球俱乐部的所有权以及这些伟大的俱乐部是否被用于体育洗礼侵犯人权的人来说，这也是一个非常令人担忧的日子. 这笔交易更多的是关于体育运动而不是足球, 沙特阿拉伯积极进军体育运动，将其作为形象管理和公关的工具，让所有人都一目了然。’

评论家称这是足球最黑暗的一天, 允许凶残的国家“运动洗礼”’ 它在全球享有盛誉. 据称，王储本·萨勒曼曾警告鲍里斯·约翰逊，如果英超不批准收购，英沙特关系可能会受到影响。.

MBS, 其海湾国家因对待女性而震惊世界, LGBT 人群和少数群体, 因被指控下令谋杀贾马尔·卡舒吉而在全球范围内受到诽谤, 批评国家及其领导人的记者.

在英超联赛确认这家陷入困境的俱乐部已被出售给由 PIF 组成的财团后, PCP Capital Partners 和 RB Sports & 即时生效的媒体, 球迷们开始在圣詹姆斯门外疯狂庆祝’ 公园体育场, 往空中扔啤酒，头上戴茶巾.

但是在他们庆祝的时候, 收购的批评者表示，这是沙特“体育洗礼”的另一个例子. 许多反对收购的人指出沙特阿拉伯对待女性的方式, 它在也门的持续战争, 和 2018 华盛顿邮报记者贾马尔·卡舒吉在该国伊斯坦布尔领事馆被杀 – 美国中央情报局发现沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼下令 (MBS) 本人.

A statement from the Premier League on Thursday confirmed the takeover had been given the green light.

‘The Premier League, Newcastle United Football Club and St James Holdings Limited have today settled the dispute over the takeover of the club by the consortium of PIF, PCP Capital Partners 和 RB Sports & 媒体,’ 它读. ‘Following the completion of the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test, the club has been sold to the consortium with immediate effect.’

The statement confirmed that legal disputes over who would control the club following the takeover, and involving broadcaster beIN sports, had been settled.

‘All parties have agreed the settlement is necessary to end the long uncertainty for fans over the club’s ownership. The Premier League has now received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club.’

A statement from Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of PIF who will become non-executive chairman of the club, said the deal would mean long-term investment to ‘harness the club’s potential and build upon the club’s legacy.

‘We are extremely proud to become the new owners of Newcastle United, one of the most famous clubs in English football. We thank the Newcastle fans for their tremendously loyal support over the years and we are excited to work together with them,’ 他说.

The takeover, fronted by PCP Capital Partners’ chief executive Amanda Staveley, ends an unhappy era at St James’ Park and means Newcastle will be one of the world’s richest clubs.

A rapid sequence of events reignited the deal after Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sports, a Premier League rights holder, said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would lift a ban on it and also shut down illegal streaming services, removing a major obstacle behind the collapsed takeover.

Another stumbling block was overcome after the Premier League, who came under pressure to block the deal last year, received ‘legally binding’ assurances that there was clear separation between PIF and the Saudi Arabia state, despite PIF being chaired by MBS.

PIF – 这位受人尊敬的指挥官的肖像点缀在伊朗各地 $430 billion sovereign wealth fund – is at the centre of plans to transform the economy before 2030 by creating new sectors and diversifying revenues away from oil.

It is believed that the PIF will take an 80 percent majority stake in Newcastle, making it likely that MBS will have a big say in the running of the club’s finances. The Saudi media minister, Majed al-Qasabi, also sits on the PIF board and he was involved in resolving the piracy issue.

去年, Bin Salman lobbied British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after objections were raised to the takeover – telling him ‘we expect the English Premier League to reconsider and correct its wrong conclusion’ – and warned Anglo-Saudi relations could be damaged if they didn’t.

The Daily Mail revealed in April that Bin Salman had lobbied Mr Johnson last year. Bin Salman told the Prime Minister: ‘We expect the English Premier League to reconsider and correct its wrong conclusion.’

二月里, a US Government report concluded Bin Salman – the country’s de-facto leader – authorised the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Turkey in 2018. He has previously denied ordering the killing or having any knowledge of it.

MBS has also been accused of being the architect behind the war in Yemen, which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of children from starvation, according to human rights groups. Thousands of civilians have also been killed or injured in airstrikes in the country, prompting accusations of war crimes.

Despite written assurances sent to the Premier League that the state won’t be directly involved, it’s difficult to see how they won’t influence the running of the club.

Under MBS is Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of PIF, who will become non-executive chairman of Newcastle United. He is also a board member of Uber Technologies Inc and SoftBank group, and the chairman of Saudi Aramco, the official Saudi Arabian Oil Company.

PCP Capital Partners’ chief executive Amanda Staveley is, with her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, expected to have a large say in the day-to-day running of the club as directors. Staveley was also involved in the high-profile purchase of Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family in 2008.

Staveley, who once dated Prince Andrew, 说过: ‘This is a long-term investment. We are excited about the future prospects for Newcastle United. We intend to instill a united philosophy across the Club, establish a clear purpose, and help provide leadership that will allow Newcastle United to go on to big achievements over the long term.

‘Our ambition is aligned with the fans – to create a consistently successful team that’s regularly competing for major trophies and generates pride across the globe.’

鲁本兄弟, who made their fortune in property development – much in the local area – and have a net worth of £16bn, will take the other 10 百分. 在 2020 they were named as the second richest family in the UK.

Jamie Reuben of RB Sports & 媒体, 说过: ‘We look forward to a great future for Newcastle United. Newcastle is a fantastic city, which is why our family has been investing heavily in the area for many years. To become part of this great Club and its amazing fans is a privilege.

‘We will build a true community Club, based upon our family’s knowledge of the city and in line with our plans that have been worked on closely with Newcastle City Council to deliver long-term sustainable growth for the area.’

While there are well-publicised moral concerns over so-called Saudi Arabian ‘sportswashing’, as the oil rich nation seeks to soften its overseas image, the Magpies’ fanbase are clearly not concerned from where their saviours arrive.

A poll undertaken by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust showed 93.8 percent of the club’s fans were in favour of the takeover.

Hundreds of Newcastle’s so-called Toon Army supporters, who have protested against Ashley’s running of the club, gathered outside the stadium in the drizzle throughout the day, buoyed by news of the imminent takeover.

Just after 5pm they opened cans of beer and broke into renditions of club anthem ‘Blaydon Races’ to celebrate the end of 14 years of dross under the ownership of Mike Ashley.

The last time there was such excitement on a non match day was when Alan Shearer signed for a then world record 15 在英格兰的三次封锁后风格反弹 ($20.44 百万) 在 1996 when the club were mixing it with big hitters.

‘Yesssssssss. We can dare to hope again!’ 采煤机, whose statue stands outside the gates, 说过.

It was a sentiment shared by all Magpies fans after more than a decade of doom and gloom.

‘We’ve got our club back,’ they chanted.

Saudi Arabia has increasingly sought high-profile sports assets, including signing a 10-year deal to stage F1 and hosting Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title fight in 2019.

Having a club with Newcastle’s potential in its locker is a major boon for the oil-rich nation.

Saudi Arabia’s government denies allegations of human rights abuses and says it is protecting national security from extremists and external actors.

Newcastle become the 14th current Premier League club to have majority foreign owners and fans hope it heralds a new era like that at Manchester City who have dominated English football since being bought by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour in 2008.

French club Paris St-Germain have also made an impact under Qatari ownership with a host of mega-money signings.

Newcastle’s takeover ends the 14-year ownership of Ashley whose stewardship has been deeply unpopular, with the supporters accusing him of under-investment and lack of ambition.

Since Ashley bought the sleeping giants, who last won a domestic trophy in 1955 and have not been top-flight champions since 1927, they have twice been relegated from the Premier League and have not finished higher than 10th since 2012.

Another relegation battle is looming with the team failing to win any of their opening seven league games and currently sitting second from bottom of the table and fans have been calling for Ashley and manager Steve Bruce to leave the club.

Present manager Steve Bruce is deeply unpopular — held up as proof of Ashley’s lack of ambition, hired to fight relegation battles with cut-price signings rather than challenge the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

它有, 然而, not always been like this.

For a while at the start of the Premier League era, 在 1990 年代初期, when former player Kevin Keegan arrived like a returning Messiah, it appeared that anything was possible alongside the banks of the River Tyne.

With millionaire local property developer John Hall as chairman, the old stadium was revamped and Keegan was given the funds to create a team in his image with the likes of Peter Beardsley, 安迪科尔, David Ginola, Robert Lee and Colombian firecracker Faustino Asprilla, 毒蛇室的统治即将结束, 到达.

Newcastle finished third in the Premier League in 1994, their first season back in the top flight, having almost fallen into the third-tier a couple of years earlier.

Dubbed the ‘The Great Entertainers’, Newcastle finished runners-up in 1996 after suffering a late collapse that saw them pipped by Manchester United in a finale to a season that will forever be remembered for Keegan’s wide-eyed ‘I will love it’ rant at Alex Ferguson.

With Shearer signed to lead the line they also came second to Manchester United a year later and Keegan left in 1997, the same year Freddy Shepherd replaced Hall as chairman.

Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit both failed and although former England manager Bobby Robson staged a renaissance with fourth and third-placed finishes, he was sacked in 2004, precipitating a downward spiral.

The days when Ginola, Beardsley, Les Ferdinand, Shearer and the like had the Toon Army in dreamland now seem like a distant memory — but as Shearer said the dream is alive again.