Newcastle United fans opposed to the club's Saudi Arabian owners are set to hold a protest outside St James' Park ahead of the clash with Chelsea. It is the first public protest organised by NUFC Against Sportswashing, a campaign group which has steadily been gaining traction on social media.
Eddie Howe's side host the Blues on Saturday evening for their final Premier League fixture before the World Cup break. Headlines after the reverse fixture in March were dominated by news the Saudi state had carried out 81 executions.
Thousands will descend upon St James' Park to see if Newcastle can open up a nine-point gap over Chelsea in their surprise bid for a top-four spot. But for a minority of long-time fans, their focus will be on gathering by the Sir Bobby Robson statue more than an hour ahead of kick-off to hold a silent protest against the continued involvement of the Public Investment Fund.
READ MORE: 'Breaks my heart' - Sportswashing and the Newcastle fans still 'hollow' after Saudi takeover
John Hird, founder of the campaign group, told ChronicleLive: "It's the last match before the World Cup, and there's going to be a focus on human rights. It is also a symbolic match for us because when they played against Chelsea last season, the Saudi regime executed 81 people before the match.
"We think it's important to highlight what's really going on, and the nature of the 80% owners of the club. We're not expecting thousands, but even if it's a few people we think it's an important marker that needs to be put down to start a dialogue amongst fans.
"It's going to be a silent and dignified protest. We're not going to respond to shouting, we're not going to be chanting or singing.
"It's not a protest against Newcastle fans, we are Newcastle fans and we love Newcastle. We're protesting against the 80% owners and how they're using our club for sportswashing. They want people to look the other way."
Accusations of sportswashing have dogged the Magpies ever since their controversial takeover last year. Howe's side are set to embark on their second warm-weather training camp in Saudi Arabia, and United's third kit has been criticised for mimicking the country's international colours.
'Deviant beliefs' were said to have driven the 81 state-ordered deaths in the kingdom in March, the largest mass execution in decades. Several victims were minors when they committed their alleged offences.
Young people currently on death row will have their names and pictures shared on a banner alongside the silent protest. For Hird, it is long overdue for the human rights 'issues' which are so often cited to be truly acknowledged.
He said: "This term 'issues' is like a euphemism. When we're talking about issues, what are we talking about? We're talking about death sentences for minors, torture, imprisoning women for tweeting mild criticism, and mass executions. These are the issues we're talking about, and we want to start a dialogue with fans."
State owership in the top-flight was once again brought to the fore after Jurgen Klopp's recent jibe over Newcastle and Manchester City having 'no ceiling'. The Premier League insist they had received 'legally binding assurances' when giving the takeover the green light to prevent state control of the Magpies.
Hird added: "It's almost like there's an acceptance that this is the way it has to be, this is the way football is.
"Is this what we want for the future of football? This future, we're going to have loads of money and be like Manchester City, is it worth it?
"It's like an arms race, they bring their human-rights politics into our society and I don't see a long-term future for it. Our protest is not against Newcastle fans, it's not just against Newcastle. It's about the future of football."
Plans for the protest have circulated on social media for a fortnight, and has inevitably attracted a 'hostile' response from a minority of 'bots' and 'trolls'. Hird is not expecting any problems on the day itself, and believes many already share the same concerns.
He added: "The idea all Newcastle fans are in favour of Saudi ownership, it's not true. There's loads of fans who aren't comfortable with it, but they haven't had a way to protest or to say something about it. Hopefully this will be an opportunity.
"It's not just about having a better team and playing well. That's great, but at what price? That's what we have to think about."
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