Jake Humphrey forced to clear up praise of Saudi-run Newcastle on BT Sport after fan backlash
JAKE HUMPHREY has taken to Twitter in an attempt to clarify his praise of Saudi Arabia-led Newcastle on BT Sport.
The TV host caused a major backlash when he blasted critics of mega-rich Toon before their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool today.
Humphrey said: “As ever with this club, there are people standing on the sidelines, ready to snipe and have a bit of a pop.
“At the moment, the way they’re running the club, it’s proving difficult for them [the critics], isn’t it.”
The Magpies were controversially taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in a £300million deal earlier this season.
With Eddie Howe in tow, Newcastle embarked on a £90m January spree as signings like Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier steered them away from the drop zone.
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But despite Toon’s success on the pitch, many have raised concerns to Premier League chiefs over the ethics of the takeover, with Saudi Arabia having a poor track record on human rights.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in the Middle Eastern country, while 81 people were executed in just one day last month.
And Humphrey’s comments caused a major backlash on social media, with one user quipping: “That’s Amnesty International told.”
But Humphrey has now taken to Twitter in an attempt to clarify his words.
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He wrote: “I appreciate how this clip looks. Let me be absolutely clear though.
“Eddie Howe had left us moments before this, we were talking about him, and my praise, my use of ‘they’ was aimed squarely and only at him and his staff.”
Many punters were left unconvinced though, with one replying: “That literally makes no sense.”
Another said: “Who’s criticised Howe and his staff though? They get nothing but praise from everybody.”
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One noted: “Makes even less sense than your original comment.”
Another added: “Why don’t you be clear about your views regarding the ownership?”