17/10/2021
The United with Pride Group of LGBTQIA fans of Newcastle United have given a muted and cautious but optimistic welcome to the takeover of the football club by Saudi Arabian interests. A spokesperson for the group said that perhaps the presence of women players and directors, and of LGBTQIA people in the football world, would have an educational impact on the policies of the Kingdom, which has formally backed the takeover deal worth three hundred and five million pounds. The BBC News Channel said that Saudi Arabian human rights group ALQST has disagreed and accused the Premier League of being driven only by money and employing "profoundly inadequate" criteria for assessing human rights considerations. Human Rights Watch also criticised the purchase of the club by one of the most Conservative states in a conservative part of the world.
