In Saudi Arabia they are proud of their national colours: Everything that is considered important in the desert state on the Gulf is often green and white. It was therefore of great importance when English Premier League club Newcastle United recently unveiled their new third jersey: the white shirt featured the classic logo of the two seahorses. For the first time, however, this was in green and white instead of black and white, as has always been the case.
They will have to get used to the departure from tradition in Newcastle. The team from north-east England was taken over by a Saudi consortium last autumn for around 400 million euros. The sale of Newcastle United was one of the longest and most controversial takeovers in the history of English football – which has to do with the origin of the financiers.
Joe Willock wears the green crest on the left breast
Saudi Arabia, which has repeatedly been heavily criticized by human rights organizations, has had a huge image problem worldwide, at least since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018. The consortium that took over the club is 80 percent made up of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund called PIF (Public Investment Fund). It was immediately assumed that the Saudi rulers wanted to use a success story in sport to polish up their battered reputation. It’s called “sports washing”.
“It’s about the image”
“The English market is an extremely important trading partner for Saudi Arabia. And people in the neighborhood have seen how you can significantly improve your image with a successfully supported football club,” says Sebastian Sons, who has worked for many years as an Islam researcher at the Carpo research laboratory in Bonn traveled the Gulf region.
Islam researcher Sebastian Sons
The neighboring United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Emirate of Qatar served as role models for the Saudis. Qatar of all places? The small, aspiring state in particular had actually been put in its place in recent years with various political measures.
It was essentially about the rise of Qatar and its regional policy. Since the 1990s, the small emirate has been intensifying its efforts to make itself better known internationally and to be perceived as an attractive partner in the region. The whole thing “culminated” to a certain extent in the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar in December 2010. Qatar had finally stepped out of the shadow of its big neighbor Saudi Arabia, to which the country had been massively dependent until then.
“Qatar should be trimmed”
The rise of Qatar was a thorn in the side of the neighbors – they wanted to trim the upstart. The situation escalated when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt began a blockade of Qatar in 2017 that lasted until 2021. “The goal was to isolate and weaken Qatar and ensure that the World Cup was taken from their smaller neighbors,” explains Sebastian Sons. However, he believes: “In the Gulf States, there was a growing realization that Qatar’s path wasn’t that bad, and for the entire region it would actually make more sense to close ranks.”
So instead of further weakening their little neighbors, Saudi Arabia decided to more or less copy Qatar and the other neighbors UAE – at least in their activities in the global football market. The UAE airline Emirates had already started sponsoring the English football market in 2004, and in 2006 Arsenal London’s stadium was renamed “Emirates Stadium”. The UAE capital Abu Dhabi struck even more spectacularly, taking over financially struggling club Manchester City in 2008 in order to transform it into a top international club.
Qatar first looked at FC Barcelona, where they acted as shirt sponsors. In 2011, the Paris St. Germain football club was taken over by Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), which is subordinate to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund. In addition, relations with FC Bayern Munich were intensified, whose annual winter training camp in Qatar has become a well-established tradition for both sides.
“MBS” – driver of a charm offensive
In autumn 2021, Saudi Arabia followed with Newcastle United. This traditional club is also to be built up into an international heavyweight with oil billions from the large area state, in whose desert landscape Germany fits about six times. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS” for short, is driving a kind of charm offensive to improve his country’s reputation, especially after the Khashoggi murder. “People want to become socially acceptable again in order to establish themselves as an interesting and approachable business partner,” says Sons. What has been quite successful: In the recent past, the Chinese, the US and the French heads of state have visited again. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Riyadh next week.
Investments were not only made in men’s football. People are already thinking about the next steps in order to finally grow from a football dwarf to a football giant. In September 2021, the national football association presented its vision under the title “Our Tactics for Tomorrow” with seven cornerstones. The medium-term goal: The men’s national team should be among the top 20 in the world by the 2034 World Cup.
Concept: women’s football should be strengthened
The concept of the football association also includes massive support for women’s football. Competitions for girls in eleven against eleven are to be established all over the country. In addition, men’s clubs will soon be allowed to accept women – it would be a milestone in the otherwise very conservative desert state. In a country where women were not even allowed to drive until 2017. “They are serious,” says Monika Staab. The German has been employed in the country as national coach for two years. And reports of serious measures: “The women’s football project was located in the regular football association. I and my work are supported 100 percent – and the progress is enormous.”
Training of the newly formed women’s national football team in Riyadh in November 2021
Meanwhile, Newcastle United fans don’t just have to break with their traditions. You may also need to exercise patience. Because unlike Qatar, which, after investing millions in Paris St. Germain, has clearly declared winning the Champions League as its goal, Saudi Arabia is proceeding more cautiously. Instead of signing the big superstars of the scene from Newcastle this summer, solid players with international class were brought in to keep the club, which was recently in danger of relegation, safely in the league.
Also, investments were first made in the “backroom” staff to build a more efficient, professional and loyal team. Following the installation of a new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, who was hired in February, Newcastle have hired a new executive chairman in Darren Eales. Investments were also made in new analysts, sports scientists and physiotherapists. And in new jerseys, which now come in Saudi colors.