Last-ditch bid to derail Saudis £300m takeover of Newcastle United lodged by Amnesty international
Our proposed Saudi-led takeover faces a fresh hurdle to climb as Amnesty International have written a last-ditch letter to the Premier League in protest of the move.
Amnesty International operates as a non-profitable organisation set up to fight the violation of human rights, but has faced criticism of its own in the past for being too partisan or selective in their agenda.
The letter writes to Premier League CEO Richard Masters, citing Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record as an ethical reason to prevent them from buying the club.
Here's the full letter sent to PL chiefs from Amnesty International today:
Their human rights history is a concern and must be cleaned up - we can't just completely ignore that because we want a takeover to happen - however there's plenty to suggest it won't scupper this takeover.
Saudi royal billionaires are already at the helm at Sheffield United, but I wasn't aware of a complaint lodged towards them - although that in itself may point towards the fact Amnesty are highly unlikely to derail this takeover.
Also, the human rights record in Abu Dhabi is equally as shocking, yet nobody batted an eyelid when Sheikh Mansour strolled into town to bankroll Man City back in 2008. The hypocrisy is real.
Positive news is that The Guardian indicates no “red flags” have been met in the deal so far, and Keith Downie of Sky Sports believes that Amnesty’s latest sting will also unlikely have an impact on the outcome.
It's also worth noting that any objection would surely have to come through the government - not the Premier League itself - and I don't expect them to turn their back on Mohammed Prince Bin Salman; a man who was spotted having lunch with the Queen and holding talks with Theresa May not so long ago!
It feels like we are fast quickly becoming the envy of the Premier League despite winning absolutely zilch in over 50 years, so imagine what it will be like if/when we do have some success!
