Newcastle United supporters are 'more aware' of human rights issues in Saudi Arabia according to a recent survey. To mark six months since the completion of the Saudi PiF-led takeover of the club ChronicleLive invited fans to take part in a special survey to gauge progress and perceptions of the start made to this new era.
More than 4,700 fans took part. One of the questions asked supporters whether they had become more aware of human rights issues in Saudi Arabia as a result of PiF's investment in the club.
Human rights groups criticised the move, dubbing the takeover as an attempt to 'sportswash' the Saudi regime. Newcastle were asked to provide assurances that the club would not be ruled by Saudi government prior to the takeover being approved.
The Premier League granted permission for the takeover to go through and there has been constant attention on the club as a result of the human rights issues. In response to ChronicleLive's recent survey, 52.1% of those who took part, said they were more aware of human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, while 38.3% were not and 9.7% remained unsure.
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Roman Abramovich's links to Vladimir Putin has seen sanctions imposed upon Chelsea Football Club, with the Russian oligarch forced to sell the club. These government sanctions only brought Newcastle United back under the spotlight.
The Premier League currently have the final say on who owns football clubs, but this week the Government announced it is looking to appoint an independent regulator with changes set to be made to the owners' and directors' test.
A new regulator is expected to be in place by 2024 and will apply an ‘enhanced’ test to analyse whether potential owners are of a certain level of integrity. Laws enforced by the UK Government will give the independent regulator power to impose punishments on clubs and oversee their financial books.
Despite the recent review, 65.6% of those who voted in our survey, said they were not bothered about being owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. 24.6% felt indifferent, 8% were quite concerned, while 1.8% were very concerned.
Further results from our takeover survey will be published later this week.
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