“I’m still bitterly disappointed about the result…”
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe again insisted he would not be commenting on matters outside of football after he was asked after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea about a mass execution in Saudi Arabia.
Newcastle were taken over by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund earlier in the season and Howe, who was appointed in November, has regularly faced questions about the kingdom’s human rights record since becoming manager.
Saudi state media reported on Saturday that 81 men had been put to death for crimes ranging from killings to alleged ties with terrorist organisations – the largest mass execution in Saudi’s modern history.
"I think it's right what the government have done, yeah." 🇷🇺
"It's just sour grapes, that's all it is." 🇸🇦
This Newcastle fan agrees with sanctions against Roman Abramovich, but has no concerns over Newcastle's Saudi ownership 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/1MNXogkFHB
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 13, 2022
Tariq Panja of the New York Times asked Howe about the executions in his post-match press conference at Stamford Bridge, where Newcastle had been beaten to a late goal by Kai Havertz.
“I’m just going to stick to football,” Howe replied. “I’m still bitterly disappointed about the result.”
The game at Chelsea came at the end of a week which saw the London club’s future plunged into uncertainty after outgoing owner Roman Abramovich was hit with sanctions by the UK government.
Several football clubs had moved to distance themselves from Russian sponsors and wealthy individuals following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting Howe to face questions about the integrity of his club’s owners last week.
Again, the former Bournemouth manager repeated that his focus was coaching his players.
"You are the face of the club."
After a number of clubs ended their Russian partnerships, Eddie Howe refuses to comment on the integrity of Newcastle's ownerspic.twitter.com/x8BjuUOIik
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 4, 2022
Speaking before the game, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted he was uncertain about the future following the turmoil of the last week.
“No one knows what’s coming,” he told Sky Sports.
“One week ago, the statement was clear that the club was not for sale, one week later it is obviously [for sale].
“So, if anyone tells me today ‘this is what’s going to happen’ I will not trust them 100 per cent because we need to be flexible and things turn out to be crazy enough to be upside down one day later.
Related links:
- Thomas Tuchel admits he is uncertain about future after Chelsea turmoil
- Why Chelsea haven’t removed Three and Hyundai logos from their shirts
- Eddie Howe grilled by journalist over Russia-Saudi Arabia comparison
