In full colors for the Saudi national team, Newcastle United revealed its new shirt, its third, on Tuesday, after weeks of leaks that were finally confirmed.
The new shirt comes in white and green, the two historical colors of the Saudi “green”, or the Kingdom’s team, which qualified weeks ago for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
English newspapers, including “Daily Mail”, considered the new design of the team’s shirt for the 2022-2023 season controversial, and indicated that the fans of the ancient team were divided about it, among those who see that the use of the colors of the Saudi team is “clear evidence” of “laundering” sports money, while Others consider it one of the best reserve shirts in the history of the team, which was founded in 1892.
Newcastle was the talk of football fans last fall, after it became the richest club in the world as soon as the Saudi Investment Fund announced its acquisition under a resounding deal.
At the time, the British newspaper “Mirror” reported that Newcastle United had become 20 times richer compared to Manchester City owned by the Emirates, which was considered the richest in the English Premier League.
Pictures of the third shirt were leaked to Newcastle last May, and it received immediate criticism because of the striking similarity with the green and white colors of the Saudi team.
At the time, many called for a “rethink” of that shirt, but Chairman Yasser Al-Rumayyan, who is also the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, approved the design, according to the Daily Mail.
On Tuesday, Newcastle officially announced that the new jersey is available for purchase online.
A club statement read: “Newcastle has released its third official jersey ahead of the start of the new 2022-2023 Premier League season.”
He continued, “After unveiling its classic black and white basic kit, the team launched the third set in white and green, designed by the distinguished British sportswear company (…)”.
And soon, there were comments from Newcastle fans between supporters and opponents on social media about the controversial shirt.
Some expressed concerns about the design, claiming they “could not” accept the incorporation of Saudi colors into the Newcastle brand.
While some fans praised the white and green set, they said they would buy the shirt right away.
One said: “I hate this, I’m a huge Newcastle fan. I can’t participate in integrating Saudi Arabia into our brand and identity.”
Another added: “Now, given the fact that Newcastle fans are so proud of their history, do you think they wouldn’t be too happy about it? There was some concern that they would pick a Saudi green and white third kit, and it did. They sold their lives.”
Another wrote: “Not sure (about the third kit). It looks fine but it’s all…”.
Newspapers indicated that the Saudi Public Investment Fund owns assets worth 320 billion pounds, in addition to stakes in prominent companies, including “SoftBank”, “Boeing”, “Facebook” and “Uber”.
The deal cost 300 million pounds ($408 million) to acquire Newcastle from its owner, Mike Ashley, and the Saudi stake in it by 80%, according to British media estimates.
In an earlier interview, Kristian Ulrichsen, an expert on Gulf politics at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, told Foreign Policy, “They are using the soft power of football, which has global appeal, to try to change people’s view of Saudi Arabia.”
Newcastle have not won a major title since 1969, and the former club owner was unpopular during his 13-year tenure, during which the club was relegated twice from the Premier League.
The Saudi investment in the northern club may constitute a concern for the major clubs that often compete for the league title.