John Duggan was joined by Dan McDonnell and Johnny Ward on today's Football Show and talk turned to Newcastle's potential takeover and the moral debate surrounding Saudi Arabia state-interests possibly acquiring a club in the Premier League.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the club will be acquired by the Saudi Arabian-based consortium backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is chaired by Saudi’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the country's defence minister.
Looking at the bigger picture we questioned whether top-level football has already sold its soul and where the line is drawn when it comes to nation-states and other entities looking to buy into the league?
While the downside's of having a nation with a track record of human right abuses like that of Saudi Arabia are obvious - we asked why so many Newcastle fans are so fervently in favour of allowing the sale to go forward?
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates winning the title after the final whistle during the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton.Johnny shared his feelings about when Saudi-interests were linked with a move to takeover Galway United, a club which he is a member of.
Meanwhile, Dan discussed the conflicted feelings he has enjoying Manchester City's devastating brand of football while knowing the club is backed by Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi cash.
File photo dated 22-08-2010 of St James' Park, home to Newcastle United.This conversation came off the back of The Independent's Miguel Delaney joining OTB AM earlier in the week.
He explained why he thinks it would be a 'new low' for English football if the sale is allowed to go through:
"This is much more nakedly a state project," he explained of the Saudi-based takeover in comparison to the ownership model adopted at Manchester City, "which should raise so many more questions.
"It is incredible that the Premier League doesn't really have any sort of protection so states can come in and buy clubs. That very concept is so absurd and poses so many troubling questions, particularly when it is a state like Saudi Arabia.
File photo dated 07-03-2018 of Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammad bin Salman."If you want to draw a direct link of what we're talking about here, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) are going to own 80% of Newcastle United. The PIF is chaired by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and not too long ago the US Senate passed a resolution holding MBS responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
"That's before you get to all the various issues about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and what they plan to do with Newcastle United."
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