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16th August 2023
11:37am BST
Newcastle United – who are in no way, shape or form affiliated to the Saudi state - will host two of Saudi Arabia's fixtures during the international break in September.
The club have confirmed that the nation's games against Costa Rica (September 8) and South Korea (September 12) will be played at St James' Park. It's the first time that Saudi Arabia will have played in the UK.
Saudi Arabia’s connection to Newcastle is a controversial topic which stretches way beyond ownership. The club came under fire last season for releasing an away kit which had the colours of the Saudi flag while this season’s shirt features a Saudi events company as its sponsor.
The PIF were only allowed to complete their 80 per cent majority stake takeover on the basis they have legally binding assurances that the Saudi Kingdom would have no direct control of the club.
Clubs from the Gulf Kingdom have spent heavily this summer, attracting some of the biggest names in the game to the Middle East.
Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Rúben Neves, Jordan Hendersom, Riyad Mahrez and most recently Neymar have all moved to Saudi Arabia on lucrative contracts and have spent more than £350m on transfer fees so far this summer.
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