Jonathan Bead
Newcastle United has a chance to challenge Manchester United both on and off the field, according to head coach Eddie Howe. Despite losing the Carabao Cup final to their opponents, Howe believes that with a strong team spirit and togetherness, they can surmount the major financial challenge posed by United’s significantly higher forecast turnover for 2022-23. While it may not be easy to achieve, Howe is confident that his squad’s efforts will enable them to “buck the trend,” and be competitive with their rivals.
Howe anticipates discussing team financial prospects with the board given the club’s ambitions to expand their revenue. The Magpies will face the Red Devils in the Premier League on Sunday, with Newcastle on an exciting fifth place in the standings, and United in third position. The fixture has brought club ownership into sharp focus with calls from Amnesty International to scrutinize club takeovers before approving such deals.
According to Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK’s economic affairs director, top-flight football may become a medium for sportswashing. Reflecting on Newcastle’s major English club being used by Saudi Arabia to launder its appalling human rights record, Frankental believes that should Sheikh Jassim, chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and a former Qatari prime minister’s son, successfully acquire Manchester United, we may witness similar situations. ” Establishing the principle that human rights abusers should not own Premier League clubs is a significant step forward,” he added, “but we’re still calling for a fully-fledged system for vetting the human rights records of prospective owners because otherwise we’re likely to be seeing sportwashing derbies on a regular basis.”
On the injury front, Newcastle’s keeper Nick Pope might return to the match after withdrawing from the England squad due to a thigh problem. Likewise, midfielder Anthony Gordon’s ankle injury may no longer hinder him from training. The Magpies will parade Joelinton, Sven Botman, and Allan Saint-Maximin, after serving their respective suspensions, food poisoning, and injury. However, Miguel Almiron still has 4 more weeks of recovery from a thigh injury.
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