Topic: Newcastle - RIP Jamal Khashoggi; Free Salma al-Shehab

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund declares $11bn loss in 2022.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabias-pif-declares-11bn-loss-2022

[latortuga]

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund declares $11bn loss in 2022.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabias-pif-declares-11bn-loss-2022

I didn't read the article, but it's hard to understand exactly what their plan with spending all this money is given the oil price keeps tanking - despite production cuts - and a global recession seems to be right on our door step.

[ABZ Rover]

I didn't read the article, but it's hard to understand exactly what their plan with spending all this money is given the oil price keeps tanking - despite production cuts - and a global recession seems to be right on our door step.

Oil price tanking?  We are in the middle of N.Hemisphere summer and it’s $80+.  Given their lift cost/bbl they are still raking it in.

[Koplord]

Given what the Saudis are doing with their own league in their own country I can’t help think this Newcastle purchase was a bit of a waste of time for them. Why financially dope a small club in a small country having to contend with financial rules and regulations when instead you can disrupt the entire football world and structure by owning the whole thing.

Think they rushed into this then seen what happened with golf and the PGA and now thinking so small seems a waste of a few hundred million which they won’t miss

[BarryCrocker]

Given what the Saudis are doing with their own league in their own country I can’t help think this Newcastle purchase was a bit of a waste of time for them. Why financially dope a small club in a small country having to contend with financial rules and regulations when instead you can disrupt the entire football world and structure by owning the whole thing.

Think they rushed into this then seen what happened with golf and the PGA and now thinking so small seems a waste of a few hundred million which they won’t miss

It’s the Andy Carroll of club purchases

[Indomitable_Carp]

Given what the Saudis are doing with their own league in their own country I can’t help think this Newcastle purchase was a bit of a waste of time for them. Why financially dope a small club in a small country having to contend with financial rules and regulations when instead you can disrupt the entire football world and structure by owning the whole thing.

Think they rushed into this then seen what happened with golf and the PGA and now thinking so small seems a waste of a few hundred million which they won’t miss

I don't think so. With Newcastle they have a permanant marker within the Premier League and a say on Premier League governance. Plus they've got a club that they can use as a feeder club for young English football talent into the Saudi League going into the future. Got to appreciate the irony of Newcastle fans thinking they were buying their way into Super Club success, only for their grand old instution to be turned into a feeder club instead.

What the Saudi purchase of Newcastle did is definitively prove to the rest of football that oil-funded sportswashing is here to stay. Get with the times or get fucked, basically. If Chelsea and City were the beginning of the end, Newcastle (and the Qatar World Cup) was simply the end.

[JRed]

It will also be a fantastic boost to their league when they parade the PL and CL trophies around their Saudi football grounds.
A few £100m transfers of Newcastle players to Saudi clubs should help the Geordies become challengers.
Longstaff to Al hilal for £100m sounds fair market value.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Just seeing it now, as with all of the Sportswashing teams they seem to appear in my YouTube recommended section, despite the fact that I watch nothing to do with Saudi or Abu Dhabi, however, what I was initially going to say, was that I've never seen a footballer more miserable at joining a new club (other than Aaron Lennon when he signed for the Shite) than Tonali looks, he has a loan back to Italy guaranteed next January or Summer.

[lobsterboy]

Wont be long now before Saudi teams start getting invited into the champions league.

[Samie]

Wont be long now before Saudi teams start getting invited into the champions league.

They already are in the Asian Champions League.

Unless you think Saudi Arabia is part of Europe now.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

They already are in the Asian Champions League.

Unless you think Saudi Arabia is part of Europe now.

Yeah the Asian Champions league is as prestigious as the European version Samie.

[JRed]

They already are in the Asian Champions League.

Unless you think Saudi Arabia is part of Europe now.

Saudi will create a new world tournament and poach top  European teams away from Uefa. Similar to what they did in golf.

[Samie]

That's where the new World Club Championships is coming in from 2024-25 season lads. You got to keep up with this. 

[JRed]

That's where the new World Club Championships is coming in from 2024-25 season lads. You got to keep up with this. 

That’s only going to be every 4 years. They will want more than that.

[MonsLibpool]

Saudi will create a new world tournament and poach top  European teams away from Uefa. Similar to what they did in golf.

Effectively, it'd be a super league.

[PaulF]

I wonder when they'll buy old Trafford and move it rat by rat to Saudi.

[Barneylfc∗]

They already are in the Asian Champions League.

Unless you think Saudi Arabia is part of Europe now.

Australia isn't part of Asia, but are in the AFC for World Cup qualifying.
Nations outside CONCACAF play in the Gold Cup.
Nations from outside CONMEBOL play in the Copa America.

This filtering down to club level and Saudi teams playing in the UEFA Champions League wouldn't be a surprise. Anything is up for sale.

[ScouserAtHeart]

Israeli teams already play in UEFA competitions I think

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Israeli teams already play in UEFA competitions I think

I think that's to limit the potential of their players being harmed if they were to partake in an Asian Competition, due to the popularity of that state within the Arab world.

[oojason]

'A number of clubs will voice concern to PL on proposed Saint-Maximim move to Al Ahli. They say Newcastle using PIF duel ownership to inflate fee & help FFP + want PL to explain ‘market value’ process. #NUFC very comfortable with valuation' - https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1682753800077996033


'Clubs to raise concerns with Premier League over potential Allan Saint-Maximin transfer to Saudi Arabia' - by David Ornstein:-

https://theathletic.com/4710328/2023/07/22/saint-maximin-newcastle-saudi-transfer-premier-league - or article in full, here - https://archive.li/YAHNQ

[Peabee]

'A number of clubs will voice concern to PL on proposed Saint-Maximim move to Al Ahli. They say Newcastle using PIF duel ownership to inflate fee & help FFP + want PL to explain ‘market value’ process. #NUFC very comfortable with valuation' - https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1682753800077996033


'Clubs to raise concerns with Premier League over potential Allan Saint-Maximin transfer to Saudi Arabia' - by David Ornstein:-

https://theathletic.com/4710328/2023/07/22/saint-maximin-newcastle-saudi-transfer-premier-league - or article in full, here - https://archive.li/YAHNQ

The whole game has been corrupted.

[JRed]

The whole game has been corrupted.

It was always obvious that they were going to do this.
The PL should’ve known that letting sovereign states own clubs would cause all kinds of problems for the league and the other clubs that try to follow the rules.

[mullyred94]

Israeli teams already play in UEFA competitions I think

I think the Club World Cup might get revamp and they'll to make it a bigger comp.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

I won't be holding my breath waiting for the Premier League to do fuck all, about anything.

Corrupt, insufferable bastards don't give 2 hoots about anything other than lining their own pockets.

[Kennys from heaven]

Israeli teams already play in UEFA competitions I think

Because they're a UEFA member country.

IIRC, the Middle-East and Asia's footballing authorities refused to recognise them, so UEFA offered them membership.

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Because they're a UEFA member country.

IIRC, the Middle-East and Asia's footballing authorities refused to recognise them, so UEFA offered them membership.

There's also the question of the Israeli players security, have your own opinions on the Israel Palestine situation, but their footballers aren't complicit, and there'd be every chance of another attack like the German Olympics in 1972 (I think).

[JRed]

Surely clubs with the same owners should be banned from signing each others players?

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Surely clubs with the same owners should be banned from signing each others players?

Eddie Howe doesn't think so.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66281210

[Solomon Grundy]

Eddie Howe is a prick. I'm looking forward to the day he gets the boot because their owners feel they need to appoint a world-renowned manager to attract the higher level of players they'll be going after in the future.

[Egyptian36]

The whole game has been corrupted.

The whole game always been corrupted but not so obvious or on a large scale to effect football that much . The UK government and The FA took it to another level.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Eddie Howe is a prick. I'm looking forward to the day he gets the boot because their owners feel they need to appoint a world-renowned manager to attract the higher level of players they'll be going after in the future.

Sold his soul for blood money.

[rob1966]

Israeli teams already play in UEFA competitions I think

Yes, we played Maccabi Haifa in the qailifiers in 2006, just about won 2-1 at home and we had to play the away tie in Kiev due to security concerns in Isreal.

In 2009, the WCC was being held in Dubai and if we had won the CL, Yossi Benayoun wouldn't have been allowed to play for us as the UAE wouldn't have allowed him a visa to enter the country.

[RedSince86]

Saudi FC fans trying to justify Maximin being worth £30 million on Twitter.

Then equating to us getting Fabinho being sold for £40 million being overpriced.

He's been one of the best DMs in the game the last 5 years, ever present. Brazilian international and in his prime.

Contrast with Maximin who is a 1 goal in 11 games ratio attacker.

Hit their FFP limit spending over £350 million since they became sportswashed and need a influx of cash from a sale to sign Harvey Barnes.

[rob1966]

Saudi FC fans trying to justify Maximin being worth £30 million on Twitter.

Then equating to us getting Fabinho being sold for £40 million being overpriced.

He's been one of the best DMs in the game the last 5 years, ever present. Brazilian international and in his prime.

Contrast with Maximin who is a 1 goal in 11 games ratio attacker.

Hit their FFP limit spending over £350 million since they became sportswashed and need a influx of cash from a sale to sign Harvey Barnes.

Read some of the shit on here and he's only worth sending to the knackers yard to be turned into glue. 

They'll happily turn a blind eye to anything so long as they get the money - they'd have on pitch executions if it meant they could sign M'bappe

[GreatEx]

I actually don't think 30m for Saint Maximin is unreasonable in the current unreasonable climate! The source of the fee is another matter and, of course, them signing Barnes the very next day for a near-identical figure is... convenient.

[damomad]

I actually don't think 30m for Saint Maximin is unreasonable in the current unreasonable climate! The source of the fee is another matter and, of course, them signing Barnes the very next day for a near-identical figure is... convenient.

I agree here, the sum isn’t eye watering but it stinks of financial doping.

[DangerScouse]

I actually don't think 30m for Saint Maximin is unreasonable in the current unreasonable climate! The source of the fee is another matter and, of course, them signing Barnes the very next day for a near-identical figure is... convenient.

It's absolutely not. Seems pretty reasonable.

[L.Suarez]

Can see them going after Mbappe now thay sold Saint-Maximin and offering him a contract with a release clause Real Madrid can trigger next year, would make going back in the top 4 really hard.

[bird_lfc]

Saudi FC fans trying to justify Maximin being worth £30 million on Twitter.

Then equating to us getting Fabinho being sold for £40 million being overpriced.

He's been one of the best DMs in the game the last 5 years, ever present. Brazilian international and in his prime.

Contrast with Maximin who is a 1 goal in 11 games ratio attacker.

Hit their FFP limit spending over £350 million since they became sportswashed and need a influx of cash from a sale to sign Harvey Barnes.

The Saudi prices are pretty distorted, but in a world where Harvey Barnes is supposedly worth a similar amount then I can’t really argue with £30m.

Wouldn’t have raised eyebrows if I saw him a sideways step in the league for that amount

[Peabee]

The Saudi prices are pretty distorted, but in a world where Harvey Barnes is supposedly worth a similar amount then I can’t really argue with £30m.

Wouldn’t have raised eyebrows if I saw him a sideways step in the league for that amount

It’s not so easy to just move a player on like that. Who would have bought ASM?  They are clearly doing it to pump money into Newcastle and get round FFP.