‘Fog on the tyne’? The ‘common-sense’ focus on ‘sportswashing’ and the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United

Crossley, Stephen; Woolf, Adam

Abstract

On 7 October 2021, a controversial takeover of the English Premier League team Newcastle United Football Club saw an 80% stake acquired by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), the country’s sovereign wealth fund. Public discussion and media coverage of the takeover has revolved almost entirely around the concept of ‘sportswashing’ – the practice of (usually) undemocratic regimes using sporting investments to ‘cleanse’ or enhance their reputation and deflect attention away from human rights abuses. This article examines the Newcastle takeover, interrogating the widespread portrayal of it as a clear-cut case of sportswashing, and explores alternative explanations for the purchase, and potentially other sports-related investments. Drawing broadly on scholarship by Bourdieu and scholars of the Arabian Peninsula, it argues that the concept of sportswashing as it is currently used limits discussion of wider, more complex social, political and economic entanglements.

Citation

Crossley, S., & Woolf, A. (2024). ‘Fog on the tyne’? The ‘common-sense’ focus on ‘sportswashing’ and the 2021 takeover of Newcastle United. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 16(2), 307-322. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2024.2342394

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 18, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 28, 2024
• Publication Date: Apr 28, 2024
• Deposit Date: May 2, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 3, 2024
• Journal: International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics
• Print ISSN: 1940-6940
• Electronic ISSN: 1940-6959
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 307-322
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2024.2342394
• Keywords: Bourdieu, doxa, Saudi Arabia, sportswashing, sports investments
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2432546