It’s September 2023. A small group of dissidents gathers in a room above a theater to discuss Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince. But this is not Jeddah. This is not Riyadh. This is Newcastle upon Tyne, a working-class city in northern England, where the people are called “Geordies,” “canny” means good, and soccer means everything.
At least to most locals. John Hird is an exception. Hird considers Saudi Arabia’s recent purchase of his local soccer team, Newcastle United, the opposite of canny. He believes the Saudi state is using his team to launder its reputation and make the kingdom seem open and progressive, while persecuting its own citizens. “M.B.S. has paid a fortune for Newcastle, and he’s going to use it,” Hird told the audience in the room.
