Newcastle United players land in Saudi Arabia for 'training camp'
Newcastle United players land in Saudi Arabia for 'training camp'
English football team Newcastle United have landed in Saudi Arabia for a 'training camp' following their controversial takeover led by the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund last year.
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Newcastle United said in a statement that 'a number of European clubs have taken advantage of the Middle East's warmer climes' [Getty]
Newcastle United have for a week-long "warm weather training camp" following the controversial takeover of the club by a consortium including the
The MagpiesÌýtravelled to , on the country's western Red Sea coast, and will return to the UK on 29 January, according to a statement from the club Sunday.Ìý
The EnglishÌýteam, who are currently languishing near the bottom of , will "play a behind-closed-doors" match against Saudi pro League leaders Al-Ittihad on Friday.Ìý
Manager Eddie Howe said the camp was about "training" and bringing the players together "in a different environment".Ìý
It is unclear whether the team will meet theÌýPIFÌýchair,
This is the team's first visit to the kingdom following Ìýin which the Saudi PIF alongside PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media bought the football team from British retail billionaire Mike Ashley.Ìý
While fans celebrated the news, welcoming the endÌýof Ashley’s fraught ownership and the inflood of cash to , human rights groups raised concerns over the deal.Ìý
labelled the takeover as "sportwashing", claiming it was an attempt to distract from Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record and allegations of extrajudicial killings, such as the murder of journalist
Ìý
