Sådan blev Newcastle verdens rigeste fodboldklub Wie Newcastle zum reichsten Fußballverein der Welt wurde How Newcastle became the richest football club in the world

Den engelske fodboldliga Premier League bugner med penge. The English football league, the Premier League, is flush with money.

De dårligst betalte spillere tjener millioner. The lowest paid players earn millions.

Bedst som man troede, det ikke blev vildere - Just when you thought it couldn't get any wilder

- kommer der nu flere penge i ligaen. - more money is now coming into the league.

Saudi-Arabien har købt Newcastle United og gjort den - Saudi Arabia has bought Newcastle United and made it

- til verdens rigeste klub. Nogle er glade. - to the richest club in the world. Some are happy.

Andre er sure, og nogle er i chok. Others are angry and some are in shock.

Hvordan kan et land i Mellemøsten købe en fodboldklub i England? How can a Middle Eastern country buy a football club in England?

Og hvorfor gør de det overhovedet? And why do they do it at all?

Saudi-Arabien er blevet ekstremt rige på olie, altså vanvittigt rige. Saudi Arabia has become extremely rich in oil - insanely rich.

Mange af pengene ligger i en fond, der er god for 3.200 milliarder kr. Much of the money is in a fund worth DKK 3,200 billion.

Gennem den investerer de i fx Starbucks, Disney og Uber. Through it, they invest in companies like Starbucks, Disney and Uber.

Nu kaster de sig over et nyt investeringseventyr, en fodboldklub. Now they are embarking on a new investment adventure, a football club.

Saudi-Arabien har købt 80 % af Newcastle United - Saudi Arabia has bought 80% of Newcastle United

- for omkring 2,6 mia. kr. Det er ikke en hvilken som helst klub. - for around DKK 2.6 billion. This is not just any club.

Newcastle foran 1-0. Alan Shearer. Newcastle ahead 1-0. Alan Shearer.

Newcastle har haft stjerner som Shearer, der blev verdens dyreste - Newcastle has had stars like Shearer, who became the world's most expensive

- da de købte ham for 130 mio. kr. i 1996. - when they bought him for DKK 130 million in 1996.

Det lyder måske ikke af meget, men dengang trak det overskrifter. It may not sound like much, but at the time it made headlines.

De seneste år har de dog kæmpet for overlevelse i den bedste række - In recent years, however, they have struggled to survive in the top tier

- men med Saudi-Arabien i ryggen er de den rigeste klub i verden. - but with Saudi Arabia behind them, they are the richest club in the world.

De er ti gange rigere end Manchester City.

Men hvorfor bundklubben Newcastle? But why bottom club Newcastle?

Mød Stanis Elsborg, senioranalytiker ved Play the Game. Meet Stanis Elsborg, Senior Analyst at Play the Game.

For Saudi-Arabien er købet af Newcastle interessant. For Saudi Arabia, the acquisition of Newcastle is interesting.

Man har fået et flagskib i verdens største og bedste fodboldliga - You've got a flagship in the world's biggest and best football league

- og det er godt at komme ind der for Saudi-Arabien for at signalere - - and it's good to get in there for Saudi Arabia to signal

- at man er en del af det gode selskab. - that you're part of the good company.

Vi skal lige have styr på et ret vigtigt begreb: sportswashing. We need to get a handle on a pretty important concept: sportswashing.

Sportswashing er en måde, hvorpå autokratiske regimer bruger sport - Sportswashing is a way in which autocratic regimes use sport

- til at dække over nogle forfærdelige ting i landet. - to cover up some terrible things in the country.

Det kan være menneskerettighedsproblemer. These can be human rights issues.

De prøver at skabe et andet billede af sig selv med sporten som middel. They try to create a different image of themselves using sport as a tool.

Nu vi er ved det, så lad os se på hovedpersonen i historien. While we're at it, let's look at the main character in the story.

Saudi-Arabiens 36-årige kronprins, Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia's 36-year-old Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Han anses for at være Saudi-Arabiens egentlige leder. He is considered to be the true leader of Saudi Arabia.

Hans far har afgivet meget af sin magt grundet sin fremskredne alder. His father has relinquished much of his power due to his advanced age.

Kronprinsen har fokus på det store udland. The Crown Prince has his sights set on the great beyond.

Han ser de mange oliemilliarder som et PR-værktøj - He sees the many oil billions as a PR tool

- der skal få verdens øjne op for Saudi-Arabien. - to open the world's eyes to Saudi Arabia.

Især udsigten til milliarderne vækker begejstring. The prospect of billions is particularly exciting.

Man ser Newcastle-fans med arabisk hovedbeklædning foran stadion. You see Newcastle fans wearing Arab headgear in front of the stadium.

Fans, især i byen Newcastle, har længe været trætte - Fans, especially in the city of Newcastle, have long been fed up

- af ejeren, Mike Ashley, fordi han ikke gad investere det - - by the owner, Mike Ashley, because he didn't want to invest it

- mange mener er nødvendigt for at være i toppen af Premier League. - many believe is necessary to be at the top of the Premier League.

Nu drømmer de om, at stjernespillere hentes til klubben. Now they dream of bringing star players to the club.

Omvendt kritiserer mange salget, fordi klubben nu ejes af et diktatur. Conversely, many criticize the sale because the club is now owned by a dictatorship.

Billeder som dette deles på sociale medier. Images like this are shared on social media.

Man sammenligner saudiske love med love, som IS efterlever. Saudi laws are compared to laws that ISIS abides by.

Problemet med overtagelsen er jo netop, at de bruger det - The problem with the takeover is that they use it

- til at skygge over forfærdelige ting i Saudi-Arabien. - to overshadow terrible things in Saudi Arabia.

Deres problemer med menneskerettigheder. Their human rights issues.

Lad os se på, hvorfor Saudi-Arabien er så kontroversielt. Let's look at why Saudi Arabia is so controversial.

På kvinderettigheder halter de langt bagefter. When it comes to women's rights, they lag far behind.

Efter kronprinsens overtagelse har landet fået opmærksomhed - After the crown prince's takeover, the country has gained attention

- for at lade kvinder køre og tage på stadion - - for letting women drive and go to the stadium

- men der er mange ting, kvinder ikke må i landet. - but there are many things women are not allowed to do in the country.

Det mest problematiske er værgemål, som i saudisk kontekst betyder - The most problematic is guardianship, which in the Saudi context means

- at en kvinde skal spørge sin mand eller far om lov til fx at arbejde. - that a woman must ask her husband or father for permission to work, for example.

Et andet kritikpunkt er forholdene for homoseksuelle - Another point of criticism is the conditions for homosexuals

- der får kritik af mange organisationer. - which is criticized by many organizations.

Pressefrihed er der heller ikke meget af i Saudi-Arabien. There's not much freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia either.

Du husker måske likvideringen af systemkritikeren Khashoggi i 2018. You may remember the assassination of dissident Khashoggi in 2018.

Han var en nær ven af kongefamilien - He was a close friend of the royal family.

- men brød med dem og flygtede af frygt for sin sikkerhed. - but broke with them and fled for fear of his safety.

Han blev dræbt i Tyrkiet af saudiske efterretningsfolk på et konsulat. He was killed in Turkey by Saudi intelligence officers at a consulate.

Saudi-Arabien har længe villet købe Newcastle. Saudi Arabia has long wanted to buy Newcastle.

I 2020 bød de officielt på klubben - In 2020, they officially bid for the club

- men blev afvist af den godkendende myndighed. - but was rejected by the approving authority.

I oktober i år fik de så alligevel lov ... In October this year, they were allowed to ...

... bl.a. ved at Amanda Staveley kom i spidsen for forhandlingerne. ... including Amanda Staveley taking the lead in negotiations.

Intet forhindrer Saudi-Arabien, Qatar eller Emiraterne i at investere - Nothing stops Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the Emirates from investing

- i sportsklubber i England. - in sports clubs in the UK.

Man gennemgår faktisk en test - You actually go through a test

- hvis man vil være ejer af fx en klub i Premier League - - if you want to be the owner of, for example, a Premier League club

- men den omhandler ikke menneskerettigheder. - but it doesn't deal with human rights.

Derfor har det været afgørende, at de overbeviste Premier League om - Therefore, it has been crucial that they convinced the Premier League

- at det ikke er den saudiske emir og toppen af den royale familie - - that it's not the Saudi emir and the top of the royal family

- der står bag den her investeringsfond. - behind this investment fund.

Men intet forhindrer dem ellers i at investere i Premier League. But there's nothing stopping them from investing in the Premier League.

Det er ikke så svært at købe en engelsk fodboldklub - Buying an English football club isn't that difficult

- hvis du har flere milliarder. - if you have billions.

Der er ingen etiske standarder at leve op til. There are no ethical standards to live up to.

Salget skal godkendes af forbundet, men rammerne er rimelig vide. The sale must be approved by the federation, but the framework is fairly broad.

Hvor vildt bliver det i Newcastle? How crazy will it be in Newcastle?

Lykkes det at fjerne fokus fra kritikken? Does it succeed in taking the focus off the criticism?

Og hvor længe har fansene den hovedbeklædning på? And how long do fans wear the headgear?

Hvad synes du om Saudi-Arabiens køb af Newcastle? What do you think about Saudi Arabia's purchase of Newcastle?

Skriv det i kommentarfeltet. Write it in the comments section.

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Vi nærmer os 100.000 abonnenter, og det er fedt - We're approaching 100,000 subscribers, and that's awesome

- hvis du vil hjælpe os det sidste stykke. Tak. - if you want to help us the last mile. Thank you, ma'am.