Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has questioned the Premier League’s silence on human rights issues following the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover of Newcastle United.
The Premier League approved the takeover after receiving “legally binding assurances” that the Saudi state would not control the club.
Instead the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which will provide 80 per cent of funds for the deal, is seen as separate to the state despite the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman being listed as chairman.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of human rights abuses and women’s rights campaigners have been imprisoned and Amnesty International described the the takeover as a “bitter blow for human rights defenders”.
Klopp was expecting more leadership from Premier League chief executive Richard Masters on the subject.
“I actually was waiting for some official statements about it. Like from Richard Masters or somebody else,” he said.
“We all know there are obviously some concerns over human rights issues. That’s clear. We all think the same there.”
Aside from that, Klopp believes the money now available to Newcastle – PIF have assets of £250billion – makes them the league’s new “superpower”.
“What will it mean for football? A few months ago we had a massive argument, issue, the whole football world, with 12 clubs trying to build a Super League,” he added.
“Rightly so it didn’t happen but this is kind of creating a super team if you want. It’s pretty much the same; guaranteed spots in the Champions League in a few years’ time.
“Financial Fair Play nowadays, nobody knows exactly if it still exists or not.
“Newcastle fans will love it but for the rest of us it just means there is a new superpower in Newcastle. We cannot avoid that.
“Money cannot buy everything but over time they will have enough money to make a few wrong decisions, then make the right decisions, and then they will be where they want to be in the long term.
“Everybody knows that, and obviously the Premier League, Richard Masters, thought ‘Yeah, let’s give it a go’.
“In five, six, seven years’ time, if the owners are patient enough, Newcastle is a new superpower and they will have enough money to buy the whole league.”
