Saudi investment into the Premiership

[Eugene Wrayburn]

10% or so of four clubs doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Buying a club outright, particularly Falcons, I could understand. What do they get for their investment? Financially rugby won’t even touch the sides for PIF & ‘sportswashing’ only works if you’re percieved to be front & centre in something positive, not a minority investor.

Dip a toe in to see if you like the water?
Though quite honestly, rugby is such a small sport, they could outright buy a club, and lose more down the back of sofa that day

Unfortunately they could buy the entire of English professional rugby with their small change, and English rugby is very much up for sale.

[Which Tyler]

[Puja]

Not sure of my opinion on that. I'm very glad it's not my team, but I don't know if I can blame Newcastle for taking the money when they're teetering on the edge.

Puja

[Slater582]

Talk of PIF buying the city's struggling rugby union team, Newcastle Falcons, has been rubbished by sources close to the sovereign wealth fund as well as the leadership group at Kingston Park. The Falcons hierarchy have talked about the potential to establish a rugby academy in Saudi Arabia but that is it.

According to a well placed source, PIF currently has "no plans to invest" in rugby in this country. Indeed, there is some frustration that people claiming to speak for PIF, who do not, have fuelled this story in the media.

That is from an article in the Daily Telegraph by Luke Edwards today.

[Which Tyler]

Let's hope they're not just lying

[Puja]

Let's hope they're not just lying

Would the Telegraph or the government of Saudi Arabia do that?!?

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Never in a month of somedays

[Mellsblue]

Diamond and Thompson confirmed this in The Ruck podcast last month.

[Puja]

Diamond and Thompson confirmed this in The Ruck podcast last month.

I mean, given his previous on public pronouncements, Diamond could tell me it was daylight at midday and I'd still stick my head out of the window to check.

Puja