Eddie Howe has revealed that he has had discussions with Newcastle United's owners about 'various things' but the Magpies' head coach does not expect the hierarchy to come out and face questions about Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), of course, own an 80% stake in the club and Howe was asked about 81 men being executed in one day in the Kingdom at the weekend after previously being quizzed about the bombing of Yemen. Although Howe was 'well-aware of what's going on around the world', the Newcastle boss stressed he was 'just going to answer questions on the game and on football' following his side's 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Howe faced the media once again on Wednesday, ahead of the trip to Everton, and confirmed for the first time that he had been reading up on geopolitical issues, recognising that part of his job now in 'the modern football management scene is to know what's going on around the world'. The Newcastle boss was asked if he had any guidance from the owners on this and whether he would like chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and part-owners Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Jamie Reuben to come out and face these questions.
