Owners

[Zidane98]

Another sportswashing middle eastern owner linked to its government is the last thing we need in football.

 

[moomba]

If you want to make to mend a damaged reputation, the very last thing you should do is buy a football club where opposition supporters will spend hours reminding everyone just how evil you are.

In our case, most football supporters in the UK haven't even heard of UAE until they were told how evil they were.

If sportswashing is a thing, it's been a spectacular failure.

Go for it Geordies, hope it works well for you.

 

[SM]

Ignoring the sportwashing element of it, the notion of a blank cheque in football just continues to fuel and encourage unsustainable spending. One less contender for the relegation spots just means the clubs coming up need to spend more drastically and gamble with their future to stay up. We're already seeing clubs stuck in permanent yo-yo status like Norwich and WBA, this will only compound it until we get to a point where the same six clubs are swapping the PL for C'ship in alternate years.

 

[Zidane98]

If you want to make to mend a damaged reputation, the very last thing you should do is buy a football club where opposition supporters will spend hours reminding everyone just how evil you are.

In our case, most football supporters in the UK haven't even heard of UAE until they were told how evil they were.

If sportswashing is a thing, it's been a spectacular failure.

Go for it Geordies, hope it works well for you.

Rubbish. Abu Dhabi is much more known for Man City than the atrocious human rights perpetuated over there these days.

Theres a reason that businessman over there that have no links to their governments show little interest in funding a vanity project.

Sportswashing is real and I am very glad that my club isnt being used by the barbaric Saudis for that very purpose.

 

[moomba]

Ignoring the sportwashing element of it, the notion of a blank cheque in football just continues to fuel and encourage unsustainable spending. One less contender for the relegation spots just means the clubs coming up need to spend more drastically and gamble with their future to stay up. We're already seeing clubs stuck in permanent yo-yo status like Norwich and WBA, this will only compound it until we get to a point where the same six clubs are swapping the PL for C'ship in alternate years.

The national of a blank cheque really means a cheque bigger than my clubs.

Look at that list of rich owners and totally see that rich owner doesn't equal blank cheque.

The Geordies may spend big, they may not. Any club that spends more than they can afford has themselves to blame and no-one else.

 

[moomba]

Rubbish. Abu Dhabi is much more known for Man City than the atrocious human rights perpetuated over there these days.

Theres a reason that businessman over there that have no links to their governments show little interest in funding a vanity project.

Sportswashing is real and I am very glad that my club isnt being used by the barbaric Saudis for that very purpose.

PMSL.

 

[Indie_]

If you want to make to mend a damaged reputation, the very last thing you should do is buy a football club where opposition supporters will spend hours reminding everyone just how evil you are.

In our case, most football supporters in the UK haven't even heard of UAE until they were told how evil they were.

If sportswashing is a thing, it's been a spectacular failure.

Go for it Geordies, hope it works well for you.

You are either incredibly naive or wilfully blind to the very real and sinister motivations behind the takeover of Man City and the proposed takeover of Newcastle. Saudi Arabia is a country which persecutes women, LGBT people, religious minorities and many others - and have literally chopped up journalists in embassies who dare to oppose them. And you're hoping that they are able to lend themselves more prestige, legitimacy and have their regime condoned by being allowed to own a team in the biggest football league in the world? Just like what the Saudi regime does with the WWE and hosting events, this is clearly an exercise in sportswashing.

The point of sportswashing isn't to convince random punters in the UK that your country/regime is a good one but to develop a worldwide association between your regime and the football club (clearly accomplished in the case of Abu Dhabi and City, literally a generation of children worldwide will grow up and think of the UAE simply as the owners of the Man City and nothing else) and to gain the legitimacy that comes from being a part of a massive international commercial entity like the Premier League. That clears the way for other businesses to work with your country, and for bit by bit your regime and practices to become acceptable/tolerable.

 

[SM]

The national of a blank cheque really means a cheque bigger than my clubs.

Look at that list of rich owners and totally see that rich owner doesn't equal blank cheque.

The Geordies may spend big, they may not. Any club that spends more than they can afford has themselves to blame and no-one else.

Not sure what that first sentence means.

I think just about every club in the Football League above League 1 has a bigger cheque than my club, including Newcastle before this takeover.

Nothing I said is countered in your post. Unsustainable spending in football at all levels is a stain on the sport and needs to be addressed. I do think it a bit cute that you think the Saudi's are going to take over Newcastle and continue to spend minimally.

 

[moomba]

Not sure what that first sentence means.

It means that there is no such thing as a blank cheque in football. We'll pay fortunes but time and time again we've moved on when the price gets too high. Other uns that are accused of blank cheques are the same. People need to be honest, when they say blank cheque they mean a really big cheque.

I think just about every club in the Football League above League 1 has a bigger cheque than my club, including Newcastle before this takeover.

Good for you.

Nothing I said is countered in your post. Unsustainable spending in football at all levels is a stain on the sport and needs to be addressed.

No-one wants unsustainable spending. But no club plans on spending in an unsustainable manner.

 

[SM]

It means that there is no such thing as a blank cheque in football. We'll pay fortunes but time and time again we've moved on when the price gets too high. Other uns that are accused of blank cheques are the same. People need to be honest, when they say blank cheque they mean a really big cheque.



Good for you.



No-one wants unsustainable spending. But no club plans on spending in an unsustainable manner.

Oh, you wrote national but assume you meant notion. All good, makes more sense.

Not really good for me, but snark noted accordingly.

Blank cheque may not literally mean blank cheque, I don't think Newcastle are going to spend 1bn on a player, but you can't reasonably suggest that this doesn't mean that they will be throwing around 10x the fees they were previously spending, meaning clubs wanting to survive in the PL who don't have superior scouting models (like Brighton or Brentford) will instead be forced to pay higher fees for better quality players to try to stay up. Blank cheque also usually refers to the notion that there is no such thing as unsustainable losses for those clubs. For how many years did City make huge losses? Now they don't because of these great sponsorship deals, which I'm sure Newcastle will manage to secure too.

No club plans on spending unsustainably has to be the most 'well no duh' statement ever, it still happens, regularly.

 

[Zidane98]

Not sure what that first sentence means.

I think just about every club in the Football League above League 1 has a bigger cheque than my club, including Newcastle before this takeover.

Nothing I said is countered in your post. Unsustainable spending in football at all levels is a stain on the sport and needs to be addressed. I do think it a bit cute that you think the Saudi's are going to take over Newcastle and continue to spend minimally.

The idea of the Saudis continuing to spend like Mike Ashley is pretty funny.

 

[moomba]

You are either incredibly naive or wilfully blind to the very real and sinister motivations behind the takeover of Man City and the proposed takeover of Newcastle. Saudi Arabia is a country which persecutes women, LGBT people, religious minorities and many others - and have literally chopped up journalists in embassies who dare to oppose them. And you're hoping that they are able to lend themselves more prestige, legitimacy and have their regime condoned by being allowed to own a team in the biggest football league in the world? Just like what the Saudi regime does with the WWE and hosting events, this is clearly an exercise in sportswashing.

Nice melodramatics. Newcastle and Saudi Arabia will get no prestige, legitimacy nor will they have their regime condoned by them owning a premier club. You are dreaming if you.think otherwise.

The point of sportswashing isn't to convince random punters in the UK that your country/regime is a good one but to develop a worldwide association between your regime and the football club (clearly accomplished in the case of Abu Dhabi and City, literally a generation of children worldwide will grow up and think of the UAE simply as the owners of the Man City and nothing else) and to gain the legitimacy that comes from being a part of a massive international commercial entity like the Premier League. That clears the way for other businesses to work with your country, and for bit by bit your regime and practices to become acceptable/tolerable.

Get real. My 11 year old son is a blue, and gets told daily on TikTok and YouTube etc exactly what people think of Abu Dhabi and Man City.

And get real, Abu Dhabi has been a "friend"of the UK government and UK business for decades. Do you really think they need a football club to get business done in this country?

 

[Zidane98]

You are either incredibly naive or wilfully blind to the very real and sinister motivations behind the takeover of Man City and the proposed takeover of Newcastle. Saudi Arabia is a country which persecutes women, LGBT people, religious minorities and many others - and have literally chopped up journalists in embassies who dare to oppose them. And you're hoping that they are able to lend themselves more prestige, legitimacy and have their regime condoned by being allowed to own a team in the biggest football league in the world? Just like what the Saudi regime does with the WWE and hosting events, this is clearly an exercise in sportswashing.

The point of sportswashing isn't to convince random punters in the UK that your country/regime is a good one but to develop a worldwide association between your regime and the football club (clearly accomplished in the case of Abu Dhabi and City, literally a generation of children worldwide will grow up and think of the UAE simply as the owners of the Man City and nothing else) and to gain the legitimacy that comes from being a part of a massive international commercial entity like the Premier League. That clears the way for other businesses to work with your country, and for bit by bit your regime and practices to become acceptable/tolerable.

Yep, it really is amazing that some people think having the Saudis involved in the PL is a good thing.

Chopping up dissidents, stoking of a civil war in Yemen (UAE a partner). Openly encouraging pirate telecasts of EPL broadcasts ironically due to a shitfight woth another fellow sportswasher Qatar.

If this is the sort of ownership some people think is good to have in the EPL that says more about themselves than anytbing else.

If this is allowed whats next? Kim Jong buying a club?

 

[Indie_]

Nice melodramatics. Newcastle and Saudi Arabia will get no prestige, legitimacy nor will they have their regime condoned by them owning a premier club. You are dreaming if you.think otherwise.

Your regime is automatically condoned once you're allowed to own a Premier League club. You just become another billionaire owner of a football club. Which, while not exactly the best group of people to be associated with, is a fair step up from oppressive and homicidal regime.

Get real. My 11 year old son is a blue, and gets told daily on TikTok and YouTube etc exactly what people think of Abu Dhabi and Man City.

And get real, Abu Dhabi has been a "friend"of the UK government and UK business for decades. Do you really think they need a football club to get business done in this country?

No they don't need to engage in sportswashing to get business done, but it makes it easier and that's the point.

 

[moomba]

Your regime is automatically condoned once you're allowed to own a Premier League club. You just become another billionaire owner of a football club. Which, while not exactly the best group of people to be associated with, is a fair step up from oppressive and homicidal regime.

Who condones it? I don't. It appears you don't.

No they don't need to engage in sportswashing to get business done, but it makes it easier and that's the point.

Does it make make it easier? Why?

According to who?

Do you really think Arab billionaires that don't own a football have ever had problems getting business done in the UK?

Come on.

 

[Zidane98]

Nice melodramatics. Newcastle and Saudi Arabia will get no prestige, legitimacy nor will they have their regime condoned by them owning a premier club. You are dreaming if you.think otherwise.



Get real. My 11 year old son is a blue, and gets told daily on TikTok and YouTube etc exactly what people think of Abu Dhabi and Man City.

And get real, Abu Dhabi has been a "friend"of the UK government and UK business for decades. Do you really think they need a football club to get business done in this country?

Hahauahaha

What price football and books when an innocent man is jailed in the UAE? | David Olusoga

The emirates have spent big to win our affection. Matthew Hedges’ case makes us think again

www.theguardian.com

Sportswashing has worked alread when you have City fans defending this sorts of nonsense. A few billion pounds thrown at thr club obviously helps with this perception. If the Abu Dhabi royal family took over and run the club like Mike Ashley we can safely assume that the City fan base wouldn't be so quick to defend them.

 

[moomba]

Hahauahaha

What price football and books when an innocent man is jailed in the UAE? | David Olusoga

The emirates have spent big to win our affection. Matthew Hedges’ case makes us think again

www.theguardian.com

Sportswashing has worked alread when you have City fans defending this sorts of nonsense. A few billion pounds thrown at thr club obviously helps with this perception. If the Abu Dhabi royal family took over and run the club like Mike Ashley we can safely assume that the City fan base wouldn't be so quick to defend them.

Ha ha, your best one yet.

 

[Loonerty]

Just like what the Saudi regime does with the WWE and hosting events, this is clearly an exercise in sportswashing.

Yeah this is what stuck out a lot to me, as a wrestling fan.

To give context to others for this, this deal was announced which I think was that WWE would do 10 events in Saudi Arabia over 10 years, with the WWE obviously receiving an absolute shitload of money as a result. I think shortly after, the Khashoggi incident occurred, but the shows went ahead.
The commentary constantly talked about how amazing Riyadh is and how it's the jewel of the Middle East. All the while, they did not once mention "Saudi Arabia". On both sides it was pretty transparent - the WWE had spent years going on about how the women's division was no longer treated like sex objects where their matches got 2 minutes and were regularly given stipulations like "bra and panties" matches but here they were in Saudi Arabia where the women were not allowed to perform.

It's transparent to me and you and a lot of people who engage with these things online but I doubt we are the majority. A lot of people will have watched that, blissfully unaware of the political assassination the country the event was in had just performed, and come away from it thinking "oh it looks like Saudi Arabia is improving" or some such.

 

[moomba]

Not really good for me, but snark noted accordingly.

I didn't have a clue what point you were trying make other than to.mention Hull in a debate.

Bllank cheque may not literally mean blank cheque, I don't think Newcastle are going to spend 1bn on a player, but you can't reasonably suggest that this doesn't mean that they will be throwing around 10x the fees they were previously spending,

I hope for their fans sake they do. They'll.be buzzing.

meaning clubs wanting to survive in the PL who don't have superior scouting models (like Brighton or Brentford) will instead be forced to pay higher fees for better quality players to try to stay up.

This is a good thing. Much better than clubs that don't spend, knowing they've got a parachute payment and a good chance at promotion in a few years.

A club that spends more than it can afford is being mismanaged.

Blank cheque also usually refers to the notion that there is no such thing as unsustainable losses for those clubs. For how many years did City make huge losses? Now they don't because of these great sponsorship deals, which I'm sure Newcastle will manage to secure too.

We made losses I think for three years. Part of the reason for that was the advent of FFP, the club came and said they were going to accelerate our spending because we needed to builld the squad to a level where we could qualify for the Champions league before the rules started.to restrict us.

No club plans on spending unsustainably has to be the most 'well no duh' statement ever, it still happens, regularly.

We spent huge to get into to the Champions league. Earned well over a billion pounds from doing that. In the non football world its called investment, loads of huge companies make losses before they become profitable.

 

[SM]

I didn't have a clue what point you were trying make other than to.mention Hull in a debate.



I hope for their fans sake they do. They'll.be buzzing.



This is a good thing. Much better than clubs that don't spend, knowing they've got a parachute payment and a good chance at promotion in a few years.

A club that spends more than it can afford is being mismanaged.



We made losses I think for three years. Part of the reason for that was the advent of FFP, the club came and said they were going to accelerate our spending because we needed to builld the squad to a level where we could qualify for the Champions league before the rules started.to restrict us.



We spent huge to get I to the Champions league. Earned well over a billion pounds from doing that. In the non football world its called investment, most huge companies make losses before they become profitable.

You said "The national of a blank cheque really means a cheque bigger than my clubs." (assuming you meant 'notion') suggesting I was talking about a blank cheque out of jealousy. Otherwise who does the 'my club' in this case mean when your responding to me? I brought up Hull to indicate how irrelevant my club is to this discussion, nothing more.

This is a bad thing, clubs should be focussing on sustainable spending to improve the squad and also using the funds to invest in sustainable assets like the training ground, Academy, and stadium where possible.

 

[moomba]

You said "The national of a blank cheque really means a cheque bigger than my clubs." (assuming you meant 'notion') suggesting I was talking about a blank cheque out of jealousy. Otherwise who does the 'my club' in this case mean when your responding to me? I brought up Hull to indicate how irrelevant my club is to this discussion, nothing more.

It was a generalisation. Don't worry, wasn't referring to.you or Hull.

This is a bad thing, clubs should be focussing on sustainable spending to improve the squad and also using the funds to invest in sustainable assets like the training ground, Academy, and stadium where possible.

It's crazy really, qualifying for the champions league gives you the funds to improve the infrastructure of your club so much. If the Geordie takeover happens it will be the first thing they'll look to do. Build the squad to get to a level where they can qualify for the Champions league and earn a hundred million every year. Those funds will pay for the stadium development and academy improvements.

Personally (and I've said this many times on here) I'd prefer if there wasn't such a discrepancy in finances between Champions league clubs and non champions league clubs. But there is, and you'd be an idiot (if you could afford it) not to invest what you could to get on that champions league gravy train.

 

[SM]

It was a generalisation. Don't worry, wasn't referring to.you or Hull.



It's crazy really, qualifying for the champions league gives you the funds to improve the infrastructure of your club so much. If the Geordie takeover happens it will be the first thing they'll look to do. Build the squad to get to a level where they can qualify for the Champions league and earn a hundred million every year. Those funds will pay for the stadium development and academy improvements.

Personally (and I've said this many times on here) I'd prefer if there wasn't such a discrepancy in finances between Champions league clubs and non champions league clubs. But there is, and you'd be an idiot (if you could afford it) not to invest what you could to get on that champions league gravy train.

You were responding to me so felt a bit like you were making a point about my use of the term, but fair enough.

I think you're getting confused between two separate points. I'm not suggesting the Newcastle takeover is going to misuse the funds, I'm suggesting the flow on effect is that other smaller clubs previously competing with them will re-prioritise strengthening the squad over long term development and investment in the club in sustainable ways.

 

[moomba]

You were responding to me so felt a bit like you were making a point about my use of the term, but fair enough.

I think you're getting confused between two separate points. I'm not suggesting the Newcastle takeover is going to misuse the funds, I'm suggesting the flow on effect is that other smaller clubs previously competing with them will re-prioritise strengthening the squad over long term development and investment in the club in sustainable ways.

Each club has got to do what's best for them.

Newcastle have been underfunded for years, and maybe clubs have got the benefit of that in the past.

 

[Sphynx]

So....

The Saudi's would love to get one over the Qataris straight away.

Whats the odds of Mbappe turning his back on RM for a £1.5m a week pay cheque to live in Tyneside?

 

[Zidane98]

So....

The Saudi's would love to get one over the Qataris straight away.

Whats the odds of Mbappe turning his back on RM for a £1.5m a week pay cheque to live in Tyneside?

The Saudis would be crazy enough to give PSG 200m for him with 6 months left on his contract. I reckon even the Qataris would blink at that instead of losing him on a freebie. And some would say it's just them spending money on their own club, they should be allowed to invest what they like.