How Saudi Arabia is using the north of England to take over football
Saudi Arabia has expanded its footballing-empire massively this summer through money and signings, but just how is the north of England playing a key part in this? We find out the reasons.
Transcript
00:00 Saudi Arabia's national side will play two games at St James' Park soon.
00:04 One Newcastle fan who is attending told me that he has no issues if it brings in revenue for Newcastle.
00:09 But Aaron Stokes of the Chronicle told me why the match has come as no surprise.
00:14 I certainly don't think we should be surprised if I'm completely honest.
00:18 The only surprising thing is maybe that it's taken this long to get the Saudi Arabian national team at the stadium.
00:24 I think it's just another move by the Saudis to maybe try and use Newcastle United as a vehicle for their football aspirations a little bit further.
00:34 Do you think there will be more events like this in the future?
00:36 Absolutely, I think so. Look, we've already had the third kick last year and the third kick this season,
00:42 which Newcastle United will deny until the bitter end that it's got anything to do with Saudi Arabia.
00:48 Slightly south-west of Newcastle, Sunderland-born Jordan Henderson recently told The Athletic that his move to Saudi Arabia was not about the money.
00:56 But Ethan Todd of the Chronicle disagrees.
00:59 I think you're a bit deluded if you argue that it's not for the money.
01:03 He said in the interview yesterday that the reported figures of around 700,000 a week are false, which would seem likely.
01:13 But even still, claiming that he's going there to sort of develop the league and help build the Saudi brand, it just seems like he's covering his tracks.
01:24 Henderson's time at Liverpool was marked by advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
01:29 But does his move make him a hypocrite? I asked Liverpool World's Will Rooney.
01:34 Without a doubt, I don't think he can defend himself.
01:39 I think he knew he was going to be in for criticism and he said that he's been hurt by people saying that he's turned his back on them.
01:46 Well, he had a chance to make a statement here, to be honest with you.
01:50 There probably are so many, you know, LGBTQ+ supporters who have found some sort of solidarity with Jordan Henderson coming out and showing that there is inclusion.
02:02 We also discussed Mo Salah's potential move there.
02:05 Yeah, it would be big for the league. Let's make no bones about it.
02:09 You can see why the Saudis want him. You know, he's from Egypt. He's an icon in the Middle East.
02:16 You know, he's a real practice in Muslim. You know, he takes his faith very seriously.
02:22 And you can understand why they're trying to prize him there.
02:25 Should that increase to over 200 million in the next couple of days, you say, could the result be tested?
02:31 Why couldn't they have done it three, four weeks ago in Liverpool maybe because of when they got a replacement?
02:37 That's what it comes down to, a replacement Liverpool.
02:40 Their hands are tied when it comes to getting someone else in.
02:43 And I think that might be the ultimate factor that might keep, that will keep Mo Salah.
02:48 It might get to a point where the money is so high, you simply can't turn it down.
02:53 But by what's come out of the club, that's not going to happen.
02:57 From Newcastle to Sunderland to Liverpool, the North has clearly played its role in the Saudi footballing expansion.
03:03 But how far will it go?