'It is very difficult to separate the success of the club from the ownership'
- Published
Newcastle United supporters group NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS) say the club's Carabao Cup win on Sunday will be "tainted" for some due to the success coming under their current ownership.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) led the takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 and the Gulf kingdom has been accused of 'sportswashing' in recent years after investing in sport and using high-profile events to improve its international reputation.
Saudi Arabia has been criticised for its human rights violations, women's rights abuses, the criminalisation of homosexuality, the restriction of free speech, environmental record and the war in Yemen.
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan - the governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia - was on the pitch after the match celebrating the club's first domestic trophy for 70 years.
NUFCFAS issued a statement on Monday raising questions about the club's ownership.
In it, the group said: "At the final we had the spectacle of Yasir al-Rumayyan holding the Carabao Cup aloft. Due to lack of scrutiny by the media, most fans will be unaware that the Newcastle United chairman is also a sitting Saudi minster and a right-hand man of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
"Fans of other clubs, while happy for our fans for winning our first domestic trophy in 70 years, are also pointing out that it comes at a price.
"We know that it should be a great day for the city of Newcastle and many will feel that way but for us it is unfortunately tainted by the ownership of the club.
"When we see the chairman celebrating with the trophy, it is very difficult to separate the success of the club from the ownership."
John Hird, a founder of Newcastle supporters group NUFCFAS, also reflected on the Magpies' EFL Cup victory with his own personal statement.
"I was born a Toon fan," he said. "I remember my dad crying his eyes out after he came back from the Fairs Cup win in 1969. I still have the scrap book of the cup run he made me.
"I and many other Newcastle fans were fans long before the Saudis took over the club.
"We'll still be fans long after they've been forced out and we will have stayed true to our values and working-class traditions of solidarity."