Its nothing more than a coincidence…
Newcastle United have officially unveiled their third shirt for the season, which is definitely not linked to Saudi Arabia in any way, shape or form.
It isn’t linked to Saudi Arabia!
The kit was launched on Tuesday morning and features a white shirt with a green trim around it. These also happen to be the colours of the Saudi flag, but again, nothing more than a coincidence.
👕 #NUFC's 2022/23 third kit is now available to order! #BetterNeverStops
⚫️⚪️
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) June 28, 2022
While there has been some dispute over the similarity between the Newcastle shirt and Saudi Arabia national team kit, fans of the club have been quick to shut that down, claiming that it is actually paying homage to a previous kit worn by the club in the 1999/2000 season.
The resemblance is uncanny to be fair and it looks *absolutely nothing like* that Saudi national team shirt.
The chairman of the PIF is also the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, but he has no links either
Newcastle were taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund – who again, have no links to the state – last October and are now one of the richest clubs in the world.
Also coincidentally, the listed chair of the PIF is Mohammed bin Salman – the crown prince of Saudi Arabia – but again, no links between Newcastle and the Saudi state.
When the Magpies were taken over, the Premier League were given “legally binding assurances” that the Saudi state would have no influence on the club at all. Yep.
It follows a day after the club announced a sleeve sponsorship deal with a company called Noon.com, the Middle East’s number one online shopping destination. In the club’s statement they said the sponsorship would “provide the club with new ways to engage with fans in the Middle East.”
🤝 We are delighted to announce that @noon has become the club's official sleeve sponsor for the 2022/23 Premier League season!
⚫️⚪️
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) June 27, 2022
Related links:
- Crawley Town make third kit available only to fans who buy NFT
- Nike to consider offering home kits which last for two seasons
- Football League clubs could wear away kits at home games to help colour blind fans