“You’ve really gone & done it this time, Sunderland

Sunderland are playing a friendly against Al-Shabab in Dubai. Andrew Smithson is not happy with the decision. He is usually in favour of the club. He would prefer the team not to have a gambling company as the main sponsor. However, he does not always agree with everything the football club does. The decision to play Al Shab ab goes against everything Sunderland should be about. It is against the spirit of their club and goes counter to everything they stand for. They need to do something spectacular to change his mind. His opinion will not change. he would not agree to go to Dubai for warm weather training.

Sunderland are playing Al-Shabab in Saudi Professional League. The club is based in Riyadh and has links to the House of Saud. It's a bad idea for the club to play a team from a totalitarian state. Newcastle fans have blindly accepted and actively supported the Public Investment Fund that owns the team. It would be hypocritical of me not to call out my own team having any association with the same country. I hate the idea of the badge being used to suggest acceptance of prejudice and repression. My football team is my break from the worries of world, but now the two are becoming tangled.