Eddie Howe remains coy on Newcastle ownership controversy as fan group admit recent claims about Saudi Arabia PIF are 'no surprise'

Lee Davey

Mar 3

Eddie Howe insists his job is to prepare his Newcastle side for Saturday's game, rather than enter into rows over the club's ownership.

The Magpies have made headlines again after court papers filed in the United States claimed chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is a minister of the Saudi Arabian government.

Howe admits his job is to prepare his players for Saturday's trip to Man City

The claims have raised doubts over the Premier League's confirmation that it had received 'legally-binding assurances' of the separation between the state and its Public Investment Fund [PIF].

When quizzed on the new revelations, Magpies boss Howe replied: "For me, my job is training the players, trying to get them in the best physical, mental, tactical condition to win the game.

"The minute I deviate from that is the minute I go into dangerous waters for me and I waste energy in areas that don't help the players. For me, my main job is to coach the players and get them in the best place possible."

Howe was later asked if owners PIF needed to clarify matters to lift the pressure off his own shoulders, to which he added: "Obviously the focus comes on me because I'm sat in front of you every week.

"But I don't think - as I've said many times - it's a conversation for me to necessarily brief on these matters because I'm not really qualified to do it."

He continued: "I wouldn't say it gets in the way of my job at all.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Amanda Staveley were in attendance at the Carabao Cup final

"I've had very open communication from the day that I joined with various people connected to the board. But my conversations with them are all football-related, at no stage has it ever gone political.

"That's not my area, I don't want it to be my area, I want to concentrate on how I can improve the team, what tools do I need to do that and the relationships with those people around me at the football club are very important.

"Now obviously if I felt there was a time I needed to ask a question, I could. But I haven't done that."

Meanwhile, a Newcastle fan group has said the recent claims against PIF are of no surprise.

Not all Newcastle supporters are supportive of the club's owners

A statement from NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing [NUFCFAS] read: "Since the takeover we have said the Premier League should never have allowed the deal to go through as it meant a sovereign state would be in control of Newcastle United. Now we have in black and white what we knew all along.

"The news means that the 'legal and binding assurances' that the PIF gave the Premier League to facilitate the takeover, that the Saudi government would not interfere in the running of the club were not true as it has been admitted in court that Yasir al-Rumayyan is a government minister.

"The news comes after other figures in the Saudi dictatorship are starting to feel confident enough to associate themselves publicly with Newcastle United.

"NUFCFAS urges fan groups and the North East's political representatives to break their pact of silence on the awful truth of having one of the bloodiest dictatorships on the planet associated with our club and speak up now and put pressure on the Premier League to review the present ownership of Newcastle United as they are clearly not fit and proper owners due to their gross human rights abuses and their assurances that the Saudi government would have no role in running the club are now being exposed as false."