Sunderland will face Saudi Arabian opposition Al Shabab in Friendly (poll in Parsnip)

[marathon9]

And Saudi insist you play in black n white stripes ho ho

 

[kildaremackem]

That’s certainly the only reason that lying cunt Methven got involved.

well i think his netwrok is already pretty good..but yes its why people own clubs..you dont think its because they like football do you?

 

[lemur]

I thought the same but apparently not

"'Sportswashing' Saudi Arabia could bid for 2030 World Cup despite horror mass executions - Mirror Online"

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Fair enough based on the article they'd attach themselves to a bid from another confederation. 48 teams in the world cup is going to be awful, we'll see all these 4-5 nation bids and be treated to Ecuador vs Uzbekistan etc

 

[HarrogateMackem]

Stupid decision. Sometimes it feels the club just want to piss off fans.

 

[wigwams]

Already had Mags on to me.... FFS

Just tell them you’re dead against it and Sartori is a ****. Simple

 

[FalkirkMackem]

It's a great idea.
Keeps us fit, their team are no mugs, all for it.

 

[Sea to Shining Sea]

But surely to f**k SAFC know the feelings the fans have about the saudi regime taking over the scum to realise that organising a game against a team from
that country whether it has or has no links to the regime would have this very reaction mindbogling really

Im sure they do know. I’m not sure they care though

 

[JohnKay]

Not getting the hate from the bit research I just did. The club have a woman on the board, the owner seems a fairly decent bloke and it's not like I'm expected to hate the whole of the middle east, or am I ?

More than happy for people to tell me I've got this wrong but it seems nothing more than a summer pre season trip and fixture in the autumn / winter because of a corrupt world cup.

 

[roker beach]

I’m disappointed that we are playing a Saudi team, it is bad judgement. However, this is a Saudi team that is not owned by the Saudi state.

We all know that a team that is owned by the Saudi state plays in the premier league every week (something that should never have been approved) and opposing clubs aren’t in a position to boycott it. Does it make them collaborators? I don’t think so.

Us playing a team from that country in a friendly is a totally different scenario to being owned by a regime that executes and tortures. I’d still rather it wasn’t happening though as with everything in the media and life the boundaries become blurred.

 

[Hull_Mackem]

Takes away any moral high ground we had

Ludicrous statement

 

[Jack1000]

Shame on whoever signed off. No regard for the fanbase who are unanimously against it

It’s a friendly, calm down.

 

[safcforver]

Couldn’t give a shiney shite me like.

So I assume we will have a petition not to play against the mags next season if we get promoted ?

 

[Hull_Mackem]

Completely different issues. There is no sportswashing going on here. Why would a behind closed doors game against Sunderland wash away any of the Saudi crimes committed by their leader?

If the mags were still owned by Ashley, us having a friendly to keep fitness in a warm weather camp would not have been an issue.

It's completely not sportwashing or anything like it.

 

[Skylon]

I knew this hypocrisy would come back to bite us on the arse one day, although I'll admit I didn't expect it to happen so soon, which now explains my stance on their takeover.

The problem for me was always the money they had behind them, not that they were Saudi backed.

Mag hypocrite ^^^^^^^^^

Couldn’t give a shiney shite me like.

So I assume we will have a petition not to play against the mags next season if we get promoted ?

No. Because we will HAVE to play them to fulfil our fixtures. We CHOOSE to play these saudis. Massive difference

 

[dangermows]

Do you mean most of the fans on here.....well not me ...total over reaction from those on the moral high ground

Most of our fans. Mags were hoping we'd make excuses. Unlucky

 

[Ark]

Stoke fan here .. little surprised at your choice of opponents ..as Stoke will be out in Dubai at the same time , reportedly using the same facility ,

Our club often makes finding info re our friendlies very difficult, we’re suppose to be playing a game at the end of the week , the handful of us contemplating going ( dependant on if BCD or not ) were half expecting a fixture v you

Is your game open to the public or behind closed doors

Genuine post as working hard hunting for info on our potential game , so not here to take the p

Will be behind closed doors with black bin bags strewn out around the edge of the ground in case we go aHEAD.

 

[Why sack Durban]

Its up to you, of course, but that seems like a massive overreaction. Playing a friendly against a Saudi side (likely because there weren't many other options) isn't, even indirectly, assisting the ruling regime of Saudi Arabia. Neither does it mean we're partaking in it or facilitating it. If it was Saudi state money being injected into the club it would be a very different matter, but that's miles away from playing a friendly against a random Saudi side. A friendly that isn't going to be in any way lucrative for either party and will be very low key.

Its a tone deaf decision, but talk of walking away from the club because of it?

Do we know it isn’t lucrative or at least a paid opportunity?

 

[Roker Mackem]

Do we know it isn’t lucrative or at least a paid opportunity?

We dont for certain but benefit of the doubt required I think if we don't know otherwise

 

[marathon9]

Ludicrous statement

But true..

 

[Guinness Guzzler]

Do we know it isn’t lucrative or at least a paid opportunity?

No but I'd be very surprised if it was. Simply because that's not who we were expecting to play against so it's most likely that they were just one of the sides we could arrange a game against at relatively short notice. Fully accept I could be wrong on that mind.