Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe, says that he is not open to answering Saudi related ownership questions of the club in the current controversy surrounding the ownership of Premier League clubs. He is aware of the fact that those questions should be asked but admits that he is not qualified to respond to those questions which surround the political climate in Saudi Arabia.
Newcastle United FC was taken over by the Saudi-backed consortium in October which includes the Saudi Crown prince himself, owning about an 8o% stake in the club. The club has since been in the light of English football for sports washing.
This response was following the loss to Chelsea on Sunday, where the reporter questioned the English manager about the execution of 81 men in the Arabian peninsula, to which Howe responded lazily, by saying that his ‘specialist subject is football’.
“As soon as I deviate from that into an area where I don’t feel qualified to have a huge opinion, I think I go into the dangerous ground”, he added, reported Sky Sports as he backed his previous statement about sticking to football. The League, however, approved the takeover after receiving legally binding assurances that the Saudi country would not be able to hold control over the board of the club.
Eddie Howe was named the manager of the month in February by the Premier League and sealed a win against Southampton on Thursday before losing to Chelsea on Sunday. “All my energy is going into that and will continue to”, he said, regarding his duties at the club which he is focusing on to bring the best out of the club.
