Council defends seeking Saudi investment

A council has defended seeking investment from Saudi Arabia after recent criticism.

Newcastle's links to the Gulf state have been a major talking point since the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over Newcastle United in 2021.

Newcastle City Council chief executive Pam Smith, who was part of a UK delegation to Riyadh last May, said not pursuing investment opportunities from Saudi Arabia would be "narrowing what you can do for residents" on Tyneside.

She said any potential moves could help "make Newcastle where it should be". The PIF has been approached for comment.

Local campaigners against PIF's involvement in Newcastle United have branded the club's recent Carabao Cup win as "tainted", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They highlighted cases like that of Manahel al-Otaibi – the Saudi fitness instructor serving an 11-year prison sentence for promoting women's rights and posting photos of herself on social media without wearing traditional clothing.

On potential investment opportunities from Saudi Arabia, Mrs Smith said the propositions should be judged by their "quality" and whether they were right for the city.

"You have to keep those principles and as for international diplomacy, I will leave that to others who are more qualified," she said.

City council leader Karen Kilgour said: "It would matter to residents [in Newcastle] if investment did not come forward because we had taken a stance that was at odds with the government, investors, and everyone else."

She said the local authority's relationship was with the "club and not the owners".

"I have never met the owners and am not likely to meet the owners," she said.

She said the council wholeheartedly condemned "any human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the world", but added diplomacy needed to occur on a national level.

John Hird, of the NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS) group, said politicians from the region seeking to "palm off concerns about human rights towards the national government is just not good enough or consistent".

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