Newcastle fans who says nobody made an issue out of City or Chelsea are talking out of their arses. Millions of us pointed out (and still do) that City #####d themselves out and sold their soul to an oil-soaked Gulf State.
Millions of people pointed out that Chelsea were being bought by a dodgy Russian oligarch who wanted to raise his profile and avoid ‘disappearing’ in strange circumstances. And sold their soul in the circumstances.
In any case, there is a slight difference even still between Newcastle and those others. City is owned, in the end, by a very powerful man who’s part of a very dodgy regime, and that’s properly grim. But he’s not top of the tree. This Newcastle takeover would mean them being owned quite literally by Mohammed bin Salman. It’s vile beyond belief. People have mentioned Sheffield United. There’s a subtle but important difference about being owned by a Saudi vs being owned by the Saudi despot.
And yet still, it’s not the fact the Saudi regime tortured and imprisons its political opponents, treats women like animals, kills gays and indiscriminately bombs Yemeni kids that the Premier League and its associated organisations are having the most issue with. It’s that poor little BeIN Sports might lose a few quid because of piracy. Football’s priorities are ####ed.