Newcaste and Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League contest has ramifications beyond the football played on the pitch thanks to the clubs' respective Middle Eastern owners
The two state-owned clubs meet in Europe's top-tier competition on Wednesday with more than just three points at stake
It's a question many football fans are beginning to grapple with: Could you support a team owned by a sovereign wealth fund? The bad press that has come with the takeovers at the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle has left some supporters facing moral quandaries. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, there's no doubt that Wednesday's meeting between the two aforementioned clubs comes with a background narrative that this is a clash between two Middle Eastern states, rather than two historic football teams in Europe's biggest club competition.
In one corner is Saudi Arabia and Newcastle; in the other Qatar-backed PSG. It's a unique rivalry in that it is more based in the boardroom than on the pitch or in the stands, and a fairly new one - at least in terms of football - at that. There was a 10-year gap between the two clubs being purchased, with Qatari Sports Investments buying PSG in 2011 before a consortium that was heavily backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund completed the purchase of Newcastle in 2021.
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