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New Newcastle United Away Jersey Set To Be Big In Saudi Arabia But It Faces Criticism In UK

The new Newcastle United away jersey is expected to sell well in Saudi Arabia. But an Amnesty International UK spokesperson blasts sportswashing.

Robert Summerscales

New Newcastle United Away Jersey Set To Be Big In Saudi Arabia But It Faces Criticism In UK
New Newcastle United Away Jersey Set To Be Big In Saudi Arabia But It Faces Criticism In UK /

Newcastle United's new away shirt is expected to sell well in Saudi Arabia but it has been criticized in the UK.

The jersey - images of which were leaked this week - is remarkably similar to the one currently worn by the Saudi Arabian national team.

It has been widely suggested that this was a deliberate ploy by Newcastle's owners to increase the club's popularity in Saudi Arabia, which could prove highly lucrative.

In October last year, Newcastle were bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

As part of the takeover process, the Premier League had to be convinced that there was no connection between PIF and the Saudi state.

But critics believe that the PIF bought Newcastle United so that they could use the power of sport to improve Saudi Arabia's reputation in the west, where there are serious concerns about the state's human rights record.

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Saudi Arabia's Salman Alfaraj pictured in action at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021
Saudi Arabia's home shirt pictured being worn by Salman Alfaraj at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021 :: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK's head of campaigns, said this week: "If it is true that Newcastle United is changing its away kit to match Saudi Arabia's national colors, it exposes the power of the Saudi dollar and the kingdom's determination to sportswash its brutal, blood-soaked human rights record.

"Despite all their assurances of a separation between the Saudi owners and the club this seems like clear evidence of the regime using Newcastle to portray a positive image.

"Everyone – from fans to champions – needs to resist being part of Saudi Arabia's propaganda drive, be aware of what is going on there and speak out about the government’s abuses: the mass executions, [the journalist Jamal] Khashoggi's murder and dire situation for LGBTI+ people. Sport must not be allowed to be used like this."

In their entire history, Newcastle have played in around 100 different shirts.

Indeed, one of those was white and green.

In the 1999/2000 season, Newcastle's away jersey was mainly white with dark green trim. It was manufactured by Adidas and had a black collar.

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.

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