London Police have confirmed that no action will be taken against Crystal Palace supporters for putting up a banner criticizing the recent Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle led by the Public Investment Fund ( PIF ).
The protest banner showed a man wearing a traditional Arab dress with Newcastle’s new owners, PIF, written on his thawb, and featured a list of the alleged crimes leveled at the Saudi Arabian government – under a tick-list headlined ‘Premier League Owners Test’. The man depicted in the image of the banner was also twirling a blood-soaked sword.
Crystal Palace fans unveiled this banner in the Holmesdale End at Selhurst Park in a Premier League match against Newcastle United. | PHOTO: Julian Finney/GettyImages |
However, after a member of the public and some Newcastle fans made an official complaint to police, citing the offensive nature of the banner, the Met has confirmed that inquiries and investigations have been completed and stated that no further action will be taken.
“On Saturday 23 October, a member of the public contacted the police to raise concerns about a banner displayed at the Crystal Palace vs Newcastle match at Selhurst Park,” a statement read. “Following an assessment, officers have concluded that no offenses have been committed. No further action will be taken.”
There has been public condemnation of the Premier League’s decision to approve Newcastle’s Saudi-led takeover, which ended Mike Ashley’s troubled 14-year reign at St James’ Park.
Allegations of human rights abuses, war crimes in Yemen, and the mysterious murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul Turkey are just some of the issues associated with the club’s new owners, but it has been determined that those hold no relevancy because PIF – the club’s majority owners with an 80% shareholding – are regarded as a separate entity from the state of Saudi Arabia, and assurances have been provided that they will be the ones in charge of running the football club and not the state of Saudi Arabia.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. | PHOTO: Getty Images |
Many have strongly urged the Premier League to review the criteria of the owners’ and directors’ test moving forward, with many keen to put an end to the culture of ‘sports washing – a practice designed to improve the reputation and standing of a group or organization by purchasing a controlling stake, sponsoring or participating in sport.
Newcastle as a club has already issued a statement urging supporters to “refrain from wearing traditional Arabic clothing or Middle East-inspired head coverings at matches,” this came after thousands of fans turned up to the game against Tottenham at St James’ Park dressed in such attire.
The match against Crystal Palace ended in a 1-1 draw, with a spectacular Callum Wilson overhead kick canceling out Christian Benteke’s opener for the home side.
Newcastle is currently searching for a new manager following the recent departure of Steve Bruce with former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca highly mentioned to take over the helm at St James’ Park.
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