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Newcastle may be the headline act but they’re not even half the story – the fact is, the Saudis aren’t coming. They’re already here
As the takeover of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund loomed closer this week, an uplifting tweet from Faustino Asprilla began doing the rounds. “Mike Ashley saw fans of Newcastle like bar codes, hopefully that will end soon this team is for lovers not for just merchandisers,” Asprilla wrote, focusing on the departure of the unloved current ownership.
Even within the tin-eared nexus of social media there is an element of double-take about the response. To date Asprilla’s tweet has received 8,000 likes and retweets. Scroll down the replies and the attitude towards the prospective change of guard is unreservedly positive. Hand clap emojis; “Class”; we deserve more; get rid of greed in football (seriously!) – and not just from long-suffering fans, from paid observers too. Continue reading...