The widow of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has called on the Premier League to stop Newcastle United from being taken over. A Saudi Arabian consortium involving Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is about to take a majority stake in the Premier League club.
Bin Salman is controversial because he ordered the murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to U.S. intelligence agency CIA, in 2018. His involvement in the consortium has already caused a storm of criticism and now Hatice Cengiz (the widow of Khashoggi) is also heard.
“The status of English football is compromised if you engage with people who have committed the most horrible crimes and then try to cover them up. They want to use English football to polish their image,” write the lawyers through Cengiz according to the BBC.
“It is without a doubt your job to stop the takeover. English football should have no place for people involved in such repulsive acts.”
Amnesty also expressed strong criticism
It is not the first time that the upcoming acquisition has been heavily criticized. Amnesty International is also strongly against the takeover, due to the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. “This should not be an attempt to cover up the terrible situation in Saudi Arabia with investment in sports,” Amnesty said earlier.
The question is whether the takeover can still be stopped. Newcastle United have already received a down payment and, when the deal is complete, will receive £ 300 million (around € 341 million) in exchange for 80 percent of the shares.
The Saudi consortium has yet to pass the Premier League Owners ‘and Directors’ Test. If the takeover gets the green light, Newcastle United will become one of the richest clubs in the world.
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