Newcastle United's Saudi bosses 'seek to build sporting empire to match' UAE-owned Manchester City: report
Newcastle United's Saudi bosses 'seek to build sporting empire to match' UAE-owned Manchester City: report
The Saudi owners of Newcastle United have lofty ambitions to build a global sporting portfolio, with reports indicating they are bringing in a Saudi golf chief executive as a director of the English club.
2 min read
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns 80 percent of Newcastle United [Getty]
The Saudi owners ofare seeking to build a sporting empire to match the multi-club industry amassed by Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners, said reports Monday.
Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought the English Premier League side in a last year, alongside British businesswoman Amanda Staveley and the Reubenbrothers.
The Timesreportedthat Newcastle's owners are attempting to appoint Majed Al-Sorour, chief executive of the Saudi Golf Federation, as a director of the club.
This move is seen as part of plans to buildcentred on The Magpies who are currently in the kingdom for a winter training camp.
"Congratulations to our beloved Newcastle United football club,"said Al-Sorour following against Leeds United on Saturday.
"I couldn’t be more proud of our win and can’t wait to welcome you to Saudi Arabia tomorrow night."
The Newcastle squad travelled to Saudi Arabia over the weekend, for what was described as a week-long “warm-weather training camp”.
Al-Sorour is an ex-professional footballer who played for Saudi side Al-Nassr before starting a career in business. He was appointed Deputy Chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi last year.
The Saudi attended Newcastle's FA Cup match against Cambridge United at St James' Park with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's .
Al-Sorour'sappointment as a new director has been passed to the for approval under its owners' and directors' test, reported The Times.
has slammed the Saudi-led Newcastle takeover, as well as other Saudi sporting buyouts such as golf tournaments, claiming it is an example of "Sportswashing" to distract from the kingdom's "appalling human rights record".
The PIF is looking to buy up, according to multiple reports.
Manchester City's owners have a stake in over ten football clubs worldwide as part of The City Football Group.
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