The leaking of a Newcastle United change shirt in suspiciously Saudi Arabian colours has reignited football’s conversation about sportswashing.
In a sense it’s almost admirable, a power-play so unabashed and brazen that the point of it might be considered 50% doing what they want, and 50% letting the rest of the world know that they don’t care what you think of them doing what they want. Cry more, as the modern argot would put it. And it’s certainly true to say that many people have been angered by the leaking of a Newcastle United third shirt in the exact colours of the Saudi Arabia national football colours.
Of course, at the time that the takeover was waved through by the Premier League, that approval didn’t come because the League had simply waved it through. This takeover was initially blocked. Instead, they were persuaded that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) was sufficiently removed from government influence to be considered a separate entity. They’ve never shown their workings.
Amongst some Newcastle supporters, this became part of the sacred text justifying the takeover. ‘Aha! But the Premier League has determined that they’re not one and the same. Check mate! Cry more!’, and all that. But the background noise hasn’t let up, and following this leak Amnesty International’s head of campaigns Felix Jakens said that, “If it is true that Newcastle United is changing its away kit to match Saudi Arabia’s national colours, it exposes the power of the Saudi dollar and the kingdom’s determination to sportswash its brutal, blood-soaked human rights record.”
Newcastle United set to turn out in green & white of Saudi Arabia next season. New away kit bears striking resemblance to Saudi national-team jersey & will likely attract criticism. For club, shirt sales in Saudi certain to increase revenue #nufchttps://t.co/1blBRlfkts
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) May 12, 2022
The cynical (and somewhat defeatist) reply to this…
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