logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2020
18m 19s

Saudi money, English Football

Bbc World Service
About this episode

A multi-million pound takeover of the English Premier League team Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund could be in the works.

BBC Sports reporter Alistair Magowan explains what we know so far about the deal. In the meantime Ellen R Wald, author of Saudi Inc, speculates on Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's motivation for wanting to buy Newcastle. It’s not likely to be profit, explains football finance expert Kieran Maguire. Perhaps prestige?

But given that the Saudi state’s record on human rights is abysmal, as Felix Jakens from Amnesty UK explains, is it appropriate that they should be allowed to buy the team? We hear from Norman Riley, Newcastle United diehard and deputy editor of the True Faith fanzine.

Producers: Edwin Lane, Frey Lindsay.

(Picture: Newcastle supporters in the crowd. Picture credit, Getty Images)

Up next
Today
The struggle to find care that sparked a business
We meet Chika Madubuko, the founder and CEO of Greymate Care, an online platform that connects people that need support with professional caregivers in Nigeria. It’s a business that was born in 2016 after her family struggled to find a trustworthy carer for her grandmother. If yo ... Show More
17m 29s
Yesterday
Oil crisis lessons from Iran to Kuwait
As the world faces another energy crisis, what can past shocks teach us? We look back at earlier oil crises to understand how conflict has disrupted global supply - and what that means for markets today. We hear from a former boss of one of the world’s biggest oil companies, BP, ... Show More
17m 17s
Mar 18
The cost of calling home
If you’re living thousands of miles from home, how do you keep in touch, especially when your loved ones don’t have reliable internet? There’s a growing market across Africa and beyond for apps helping to cut the costs of international calls to older phones. And some operators ha ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud takes over Newcastle United | Premier League
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud buys Newcastle United Football Club from Mike Ashley via P.I.F investment vehicle. The Public Investment Fund is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world w ... Show More
3m 38s
Mar 2024
S2: Football in the House of Saud
Roger Bennet and Tommy Vietor are back for Season 2 of World Corrupt! And this time, Rog and Tommy are diving into how Saudi Arabia, the biggest exporter of oil in the world and a nation in the news for human rights abuses, became the latest geopolitical power player sweeping glo ... Show More
48m 2s
May 2024
Mohammed bin Salman: The most powerful man in football?
Mohammed bin Salman may be the most influential person in global football, even though he doesn’t seem to like the game. In 2021, the Saudi millennial crown prince became the ultimate owner of Newcastle United, when the Premier League club was bought by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign w ... Show More
47m 25s
Sep 2025
"Saudi Arabia Has the Most Football Fans Per Capita in The World!" - Ben Harburg 159
Ben is an American investor and owner of Saudi football club Al-Kholood. He made history for being first non-Saudi to acquire a team in the Saudi Roshn League. Ben is also the founder of MSA Capital, a global investment firm managing over $2 billion in assets. On this episode, Mo ... Show More
1h 22m
Oct 2021
Newcastle United Rule Enforced | Premier League
Premier League Teams voted to temporarily block Newcastle United getting new sponsorship deals. Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club which is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. Th ... Show More
5m 26s
Dec 2024
Saudi saga and more trouble in Manchester
<p>World Cup 2034 is heading to Saudi Arabia and WC 2030 to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Martin Samuel was revolted by proceedings… “FIFA conducted two one horse races yesterday.”</p><p>Is it a decision to grow the game, or a demonstration of 'money talks' ?</p><p>Martin joins To ... Show More
1h 2m
Dec 2024
Saudi Arabia Awarded 2034 FIFA World Cup
It's been confirmed the FIFA World Cup will be returning to the Middle East in 10 years' time after FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the hosting rights to the 2034 tournament. Securing football’s most high-profile tournament is just the latest example of the Kingdom’s growing influence ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Why women footballers are taking on an oil company
More than 100 professional women's footballers have signed an open letter urging Fifa to drop the Saudi oil giant Aramco as a sponsor over humanitarian and environmental concerns. It follows Fifa’s announcement - earlier this year - of a partnership with the firm that will run un ... Show More
11m 40s
Feb 2023
Jim v Jassim: The battle for Manchester United
Manchester United is known around the world but the club has faced tough times in recent years with fans deeply unhappy with its owners. But could that be about to change? Earlier this month, we found out the British billionaire entrepreneur Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari Sheikh Ja ... Show More
19m 46s
Oct 2022
Saudi Arabia: Cricket’s sponsorship dilemma
On this week’s episode of Stumped, should cricket care where its funding comes from?The International Cricket Council have announced a partnership with a Saudi state-owned oil company, raising issues of both sustainability and an association with a country that has a poor human r ... Show More
33m 22s