October 21, 2022
The brief from today:
Saudi Arabia to welcome Newcastle
Premier League side, Newcastle, will be heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December for warm weather training. With club football due to pause for the World Cup in November and December, the team has opted for an opportunity to head to a more favorable climate. Of course this wouldn’t be the first time they have made this excursion, as they previously did the same thing in January this year. Following that trip, the side put together an impressive streak of five wins in six matches—a run of form they are hoping to replicate after making their December journey. Newcastle were officially taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021, after a one-year period required to ratify the deal. There has been quite the uproar since with many opponents of the deal citing the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia, but it appears that the majority of this resistance doesn’t involve the Newcastle fans themselves. St. James’ Park—Newcastle’s home stadium—is routinely packed with supporters, and has steadily been becoming a fortress for the team this calendar year. Coach, Eddie Howe, has had to navigate politically themed questions from the media since he took the position last November, but so far his job guiding the team to safety last season, and to sixth place in the standings currently, has granted him some breathing space. Speaking on the upcoming trip, he pointed to the positive results from the previous visit they paid to Saudi Arabia as the motivator rather than focusing on the connection between the country and the club’s ownership. Scheduled to be in Riyadh from December 4-10, Newcastle will also play local side, Al-Hilal, in a friendly before heading back to England before the Premier League resumes on December 26.
Newcastle walk out before a friendly against local side, Al-Ittihad, during their last visit to Saudi Arabia
Ghana looking for more than tactics
Ghana’s government, as well as the football association (GFA), announced today that fans should pray and fast for the national team in the month leading up to the World Cup. Many African countries are deeply rooted in their faith, and Ghana is no exception. The majority of the country—71 percent—is Christian, while around 17 percent identify as Muslim, with the remaining practicing indigenous religions. For those who intend to participate, they are being asked to fast on their respective holy days—Muslims on Friday, and Christians on Sunday. Ghana represented Africa on the World Stage admirably in 2010, reaching the quarter finals in South Africa only to lose out on penalties to Uruguay. Since then, however, the country has been inconsistent even failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. A group stage exit in the AFCON earlier this year was a further indicator of substandard form, which prompted the GFA to hire current coach, Otto Addo. Since the German born Ghanaian took over, Ghana managed to qualify for the World Cup on away goals at the expense of Nigeria. That said, they have only won two matches since against Madagascar and Nicaragua, which have been countered by heavy defeats to Japan and Brazil. The fact that Addo has also opted to maintain both his Ghana duties, as well as his assistant role with Borussia Dortmund, has caused supporters to question whether that may be affecting the national team performances. As a result of all this, faith and spirituality have entered the conversation as many believe prayer and fasting could facilitate a more positive showing in Qatar. Ghana kick off their group campaign on November 24 against Portugal, followed by South Korea on the 28th, before a rematch with 2010 rivals, Uruguay, on December 2. There’s no telling how many citizens will participate in the faith driven campaign, but those that do will surely hope it has the desired effect.
Ghana’s national team will likely be sent to Qatar with a nation’s prayers and fasting