A pub in Newcastle, the UK, has found itself in the crosshairs after it asked Newcastle United FC fans not to dress in Arab-style clothing to celebrate the club's takeover by a Saudi consortium.
The Bridge Tavern, sitting atop Akenside Hill, via its Instagram page, cautioned against visiting the venue in attire “that might be considered as cultural appropriation” after some fans were spotted wearing traditional robes and headdresses.
The pub added that it welcomed “anyone in our lovely little boozer and would be devastated if anyone felt uncomfortable or disrespected”. The post triggered a wave of support from followers on Instagram.
Earlier in the week, Newcastle United issued a message to fans in a similar vein. “Newcastle United is kindly asking supporters to refrain from wearing traditional Arabic clothing or Middle East-inspired head coverings at matches if they would not ordinarily wear such attire,” said a club spokesman.
On Twitter, fans seemed split on the stance adopted by the pub.
On 8 October English Premier League football club Newcastle United announced the reportedly 300-million-pound ($409 mln) takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium - Public Investment Fund (PIF) - in the wake of a drawn-out legal fight involving concerns about alleged improper conduct and sportswashing.
“The Premier League, Newcastle United Football Club and St James Holdings Limited have today settled the dispute over the takeover of the club by the consortium of PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media,” announced the Premier League in a statement.