Mail Online

Club’s owners backtrack over objection to fans’ Arab dress

By Nick Callow

THE Premier League and Newcastle United are not the only ones under scrutiny after allowing the Saudi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) takeover, as now the club’s supporters are getting lost in a moral maze.

A banner at Selhurst Park depicted Premier League supremo Richard Masters with a bag of money at his feet, smiling at a sword-brandishing Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the PIF that represents the new money on Tyneside.

Between them stood a Premier League owners’ test checklist which read: ‘Terrorism (tick), Beheadings (tick), Civil Rights Abuses (tick), Murder (tick), Censorship (tick), Persecution (tick)’.

Long-suffering Newcastle fans find their celebrations at the club’s sudden acquisition of riches, after the departure of despised Londonbased owner Mike Ashley, are being frowned upon.

Kick It Out have protested against fans wearing culturally inappropriate head dressings to matches too.

I spotted only a couple of fans ‘dressed up’ in the packed section of Newcastle fans and those I spoke to before the match resented their support for a football club being conflated into the backing of sportswashing by a regime with an unsavoury civil rights record.

A man in his 20s called Ryan stood outside the stadium and said: ‘There are things for us to think about and the guy I just got a ticket off does not want to support us any more because of the takeover.

‘We are under a lot of scrutiny and while that is understandable I do not think that Newcastle fans are the ones who should take the hit. It is a hard one for us to balance and I don’t know if we will ever balance it.’

Another diehard supporter by the name of Hayley (@Hayley-Harra) claimed she had received backing from people she had spoken to on Twitter over the headwear issue.

She said: ‘I am also aware of the concerns around Saudi dissidents, but that is not of our making. Newcastle fans have had 14 years of hell, no ambition and no hope and we have got rid of Ashley and that is all we are concerned about now.

‘We might go down but at least we know there is a long-term plan in place to be back. I am just glad they have cleaned the windows at the ground again!’

It turned out that Newcastle’s new

owners wholly agreed with Hayley’s sentiments. Via new bosses Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley, the club released a statement reversing a midweek plea for supporters to refrain ‘from wearing traditional Arabic clothing or Middle East-inspired head coverings’.

The new edict stated: ‘Those who wish to support the club by wearing appropriate culturally inspired clothing should feel free to do so as they see fit. We are inclusive to all.

‘Newcastle United FC and their new owners continue to support the Premier League’s initiatives on diversity and inclusion, including No Room for Racism.’

With that issue cleared up, for today at least, the Newcastle fans did what they do best and supported their team from the first to last minute.

They remain in the relegation zone and are still without a win, but at least this time they were rewarded with a battling display, a brilliant Callum Wilson goal and a point to keep them off the bottom of the table.

‘How much are they paying you?’ sang the Palace fans when VAR intervened to cancel out what looked like a late winning goal for Christian Benteke. It is a chant that the Geordies may well have to get used to.

Football

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