The takeover of Newcastle United has created two key narratives

Neutral fans, pundits and various entities around the world have mixed feelings about the expected takeover of Newcastle United.

Every mainstream media outlet is tracking the takeover situation and publishing several reports every day. A sale price has been agreed, the paperwork has been signed and submitted to the Premier League, but now everyone is just waiting for the league authorities to give the green light.

The takeover has generated a wide range of emotions among fans, pundits, and various corporate and non-profit entities. For many years, Newcastle United have lived with the label of being the sleeping giant of English football, and the Toon Army is recognized and praised for their fervent passion. The narratives surrounding the club and its fans is starting to change as a result of the takeover, though. Here are the two main narratives surrounding Newcastle United at the moment.

Newcastle United Deserve This Takeover

Many folks are excited for Newcastle United and their supporters. Mike Ashley is known as the worst club owner in the Premier League. His neglectful ownership has seen Newcastle United suffer two relegations and compete in eight relegation battles since 2007.

In the mid-90s and early-2000s, Newcastle United were a competitive side that occupied a place among the top six and played in Europe, but today they are always predicted to finish near or in the bottom three. As a result, some neutral fans and pundits are excited about the idea of how Newcastle United can restructure their squad and shake things up in the Premier League.

Popular football pages and accounts across all social media platforms are adding to the hype by editing photos of top players wearing Newcastle United jerseys. That creativity and optimism generates more excitement for everyone involved, although it is important to understand Financial Fair Play rules first. More people will realize that Newcastle United cannot break the bank on top players immediately due to revenue limitations.

The Toon Army Sold Their Soul to the Devil

In the eyes of some people, the Toon Army went from being a respectable fan base to public enemy number one. Why? From what I understand it is because Newcastle United supporters are thrilled about their club’s expected takeover even though Prince Salman’s country, Saudi Arabia, is known for violating human rights.

Amnesty International recently wrote a letter to the Premier League advocating that this takeover be blocked because of Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record. BeIN Sports also wrote a letter advocating for the same thing, but their issue stems from an accusation that Saudi Arabia is actively involved in piracy and disregard sports television rights.

Then there are fans from other clubs in the top six that fear their elite status in the Premier League will be threatened with the potential rise of Newcastle United. They then go on rants and hope the aforementioned letters will block the takeover, but as can be read in the letter attached above that does not look likely.

The violation of human rights is something that should never be tolerated or condoned, but that is a political matter. The concept of Sportswashing is also a big deal as nations try to cover up any negative attention with major sports investments. All that being said, though, it is not fair to throw the blame on Newcastle United’s supporters.

The Toon Army did not directly call Prince Salman and beg him to purchase the club. Things just played out that way. Advising the Toon Army to do some research and better understand the social issues in Saudi Arabia is one thing, but painting the fans as evil people because they are excited about the potential transformation of the one club that represents their city and the North East of England is wrong.

People will have different opinions on this matter, but that is my two cents regarding the emotions triggered by this takeover. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.