The Newcastle fans welcomed the new owners from Saudi Arabia.
After Manchester City, Newcastle is now also awaiting the rain of money from the sheikhs. The Premier League rivals now want to step in.
The richest club owners in world football are not based in Manchester or Paris. The Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund took over Newcastle United last week. It is to be expected that the Premier League latecomer will go on a shopping spree in the coming transfer windows.
Coach Steve Bruce faces the transfer. Many stars from the top 5 leagues who are willing to change are already associated with a move to the far north of England. The fans celebrate the takeover. On Sunday they welcomed the new owners to the home game against Tottenham. The Spurs salted their home debut, won 3-2.
The other Premier League clubs, however, do not think much of the takeover. Many fear for their own position due to the money rain. The so-called Big Six (Liverpool, City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham) do not want to make the already highly competitive European Cup tickets and titles even more difficult. The smaller clubs, especially those at the bottom of the table, do not want to be left behind by a competitor for relegation.
So it comes as no surprise that England's top division clubs agreed on an alliance against Newcastle this week. Not by that name, of course. They have agreed on a temporary regulation that prohibits club owners from entering into sponsorship agreements with companies that are related to the owners.
This is reported by the usually well-informed “Guardian”. It should be said that only 18 of the 19 Newcastle opponents voted for the new regulation. Manchester City is against it for obvious reasons. The reigning champion also likes to throw money around on the transfer market, which, according to reports, comes from the sheik via detours. The regulation also has a big impact on the current league croesus, the team of start coach Pep Guardiola.
But: First of all, it is a temporary solution. The 18 clubs would like a permanent regulation. However, it is still unclear whether the one-month tightening will hold at all. The Premier League is still silent.
Why does it matter where the money comes from? In England there is a financial fair play rule that says that within three years only around 125 million euros more can be spent than is earned from the club's income. “Gifts” from the owner would not be included. If a company that is close to the owners injects money in the form of sponsorship, it works very well. Back to the City, for example: The Etihad airline is the main sponsor there, and the stadium is also named. The airline is owned by Abu Dhabi. The Citizens are also under the influence of the emirate.
There is now heated debate in England. How ethical is it for the super-rich to join? Especially when the money comes from countries that have been criticized for violating human rights and damaging the environment. How seriously can top clubs take action against the sheikh clubs with the argument fair play if they themselves announced a Super League a few months ago that would have given them a monetary competitive advantage in the Premier League (the project has failed for the time being) ? Questions like these need to be clarified at the moment. The takeover of Newcastle moves the motherland of football.
