Senior figures in the UK government may have played an active role in promoting the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United football club, according to an investigation published on Thursday.
Fifty-nine pages of emails between UK government officials obtained by The Atlantic reveal that many senior British government figures facilitated the acquisition, promoting the buyout of the team.
In October 2021, a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) successfully acquired Newcastle United for £300m, despite the Premier League’s refusal to approve the deal.
In one email, Richard Oppenheim, then UK deputy ambassador to Riyadh, sent a script to UK officials from 10 Downing Street and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ahead of a phone call.
"It’s not for HMG (Her Majesty’s Government) to intervene in buying/selling football clubs. But HMG is not neutral about UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. It is a crucial and valuable relationship with an important partner, regionally and globally," the email said.
"The purchase of Newcastle United by KSA’s sovereign wealth fund would be a valuable boost to the relationship and signal of intent for further Saudi investment in the north east." NEW: Emails obtained by say British govt considered Newcastle takeover an “immediate risk” to the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia & Boris Johnson’s chief strategist wanted an interlocutor to “impress HMG interests” on Premier League
Another email from a Foreign Office official in July 2020 revealed that Sir Edward Lister, then chief strategic advisor to Boris Johnson, was considering the appointment of a “senior interlocutor to impress HMG interests with the Premier League” in order to "finalise it’s consideration of the takeover".
The documents also show the FCDO’s private secretary describing the purchase of Newcastle United by the PIF as "a valuable boost to the relationship and a gateway for further Saudi investment" and suggested that failure to do so was "the most immediate risk".
It was reported in April 2021 by the Daily Mail that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally called former Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “correct” the Premier League’s initial decision in the proposed takeover, warning of consequences for their relationship should the deal fail to go through.
Human rights advocates as well as some Newcastle United fans have accusing Saudi Arabia of "sportswashing" the kingdom’s human rights records with its purchase of the Premier League club.
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, was among those who opposed the takeover.