Grahame Morris MP is one of 16 cross-party MPs and peers who have written to the Prime Minister, expressing concern over the prospective £300 million purchase of Newcastle United, by a consortium that is reportedly 80% owned by Saudi Arabia.

The campaign, co-ordinated by the Fifa Ethics and Regulations Watch, raises concerns about ‘sports-washing’, the practise whereby regimes or companies with poor human rights and environmental records, pour millions into sports teams or events in an attempt to improve their image.

The letter states, ‘we believe that the prospective purchase of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia raises a number of ethical issues because of the regime’s poor human rights record. Allegations against the Saudi regime include authorising the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi a Saudi dissident, and journalist for The Washington Post, human rights activists facing being jailed with little or no access to fair trials, or judicial rights and the increasing use of online espionage against its’ opponents. There is also the well-documented involvement of the regime in Yemen, such as the bombing of civilians.’

The letter quotes Felix Jakens, head of priority campaigns at Amnesty International UK, who said, ‘Saudi Arabia is attempting to use the glamour and prestige of Premier League football as a PR tool to distract from the country’s abysmal human rights record.’

Signatories contend that the practise of sports-washing threatens to undermine the values of the sport. They state, ‘given that the Premier League is watched by an estimated 1.35 billion worldwide, the potential purchase of Newcastle United by a regime with a well-documented history of human rights abuses, we believe sends the wrong message, that the Premier League appears to be more concerned with attracting money into the sport than the spirit and values of football.’

The letter concludes by asking the Prime Minister to:

• Take an active lead in preventing the practice of sports-washing in the UK
• Instruct the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in conjunction with sport’s authorities to develop a more robust “fit and proper” test that would take into account the full human rights and environmental records of those companies and regimes who wish to be closely linked with UK sport, its’ events, and its’ teams
• Become a world leader in using sport to promote improvements to human rights and tolerance such as stamping out racism and other forms of discrimination.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has previously stated that the Government will not interfere in the takeover, despite sports-washing concerns. He said that “it is for the Premier League to make that assessment.”

Grahame Morris MP said, “The Premier League cannot become home to human rights abusers, that seek to use the league’s prestige to ‘sports-wash’ their international reputation. We need a robust, fit and proper test, and the takeover of Newcastle United will determine whether the current system protects the integrity of UK sport, or is nothing more than a rubber stamp exercise with no value.”

The letter in full:

 

Dear Prime Minister,

 

We wish to raise with you our concerns about sports-washing – the practice of companies or regimes with poor environmental or human rights spending large sums of money on sports events, activities or even purchasing sports clubs to improve their image.    

 

This issue has recently come to the fore, after reports that a consortium is on the verge of purchasing Newcastle United Football Club.^[1] The same reports confirmed that the consortium is 80 per cent owned and therefore controlled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

 

We believe that the prospective purchase of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia raises a number of ethical issues because of the regime’s poor human rights record. Allegations against the Saudi regime include authorising the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi a Saudi dissident, and journalist for The Washington Post^[2], human rights activists facing being jailed with little or no access to fair trials, or judicial rights^[3] and the increasing use of online espionage against its’ opponents^[4].

 

There is also the well-documented involvement of the regime in Yemen, such as the bombing of civilians.^[5]

 

Indeed, several Members of Parliament, including some of the respected members of the Joint Human Rights Committee and its’ Chair, the Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP have raised concerns about the conduct of the Saudi Arabian authorities and their close links to our Government.^[6]

 

These concerns have been echoed by Amnesty International UK. Felix Jakens, the head of priority campaigns at the campaign group is reported as saying ‘Saudi Arabia is attempting to use the glamour and prestige of Premier League football as a PR tool to distract from the country’s abysmal human rights record’.^[7] He continued: ‘There’s a name for this – it’s called sports-washing’. This is a process whereby regimes with questionable records on human rights pour money into sport and major events to improve their public image.

 

The tactic of sports-washing is by no means limited to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or to the sport of football as a number of regimes with poor human rights records and companies with poor environmental records are engaged in this practice and across different sports. 

 

Given that the Premier League is watched by an estimated 1.35 billion worldwide, the potential purchase of Newcastle United by a regime with a well-documented history of human rights abuses, we believe sends the wrong message, that the Premier League appears to be more concerned with attracting money into the sport than the spirit and values of football.^[8]   

 

We believe that the limitation of the current “fit and proper”, which prevents scrutiny of such activities that occur outside of the UK must be changed.   

 

We, therefore, urge the Government to: 

 

• Take an active lead in preventing the practice of sports-washing in the UK 

 

• Instruct the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in conjunction with sport’s authorities to develop a more robust “fit and proper” test that would take into account the full human rights and environmental records of those companies and regimes who wish to be closely linked with UK sport, its’ events, and its’ teams

 

• Become a world leader in using sport to promote improvements to human rights and tolerance such as stamping out racism and other forms of discrimination  

 

Yours sincerely,