Yesterday I did a piece about NUFC Fans Against Sports Washing‘s apparent lack of direction following Eddy from Tyneside Life’s interview with one of the protestors. I said in that piece that the organiser appeared to be ducking the camera. I was wrong.
At some point yesterday, Eddy posted another video, this time interviewing the organiser of the protest and the group, and we got to hear what the group hopes to achieve and I think it’s only fair that I cover that one too. I urge you to watch the video and hear them out as, regardless of your feelings on the whole thing, it’s better to be informed than ignorant.
The group’s organiser, John Hurt wasted no time in trying to dispel the myth that he’s a Sunderland supporter trying to cause trouble but then quickly moved on to explain that the group’s focus is not to protest the Newcastle fans or vilify them in any way, but to try and get fans to ask the difficult questions when given a chance to speak to the club’s hierarchy.
Once again, it’s hard to disagree with the points the group are making, it is unfortunate that our club’s money comes from a place with such a questionable record, but as Eddy rightly points out several times, who are we to judge another country’s practices? Just because we see things one way doesn’t give us the right to demand that everyone else must think and act the same. It’s not like they’re trying to impose their way onto us.
My personal take on this takeover is that it is a foot in the door for an open dialogue between two opposing systems of government and belief. Whether we like it or not, Saudi money is dirty money (but you’d be hard-pressed to find a rich state/person whose money is clean), but whether they like it or not, their money is being used to promote Women’s football and the United With Pride groups, so in a way, albeit a small way at the moment, they are funding the very things they’ve historically opposed. So maybe this is a two-way street, they are trying to go down the sports washing route, perhaps, but in doing so we might just be able to open their minds.
With the controversy surrounding the World Cup highlighting similar issues, it’s very likely that you’re going to hear the club’s name mentioned a lot during the coverage of the competition. This issue isn’t going away any time soon, so it’s best to be as knowledgeable as you can be to better defend yourself and the club when the fingers start pointing our way again.