The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has warned the English Premier League against Saudi Arabia's imminent takeover of football team Newcastle United.
Mr Khashoggi, a well-known critic of the Saudi government, was murdered in 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, with for his death.
Now, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has .
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Source: AFP
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the fund's chairman.
On Monday, the late Mr Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz warned against the deal, telling the Premier League and Newcastle United's management that "moral values should prevail".
"There should be no place in English football for those credibly accused of atrocities and murder," she told BBC Radio.
"We should consider ethical values, not just financial or political ones. Money cannot buy everything in the world. So the message that will be given to people like Crown Prince is extremely important."
Ms Cengiz is not the only person opposed to the Saudi takeover.
In April, Qatar-based TV giant beIN Sport urged the Premier League to "fully interrogate" the proposed deal, accusing the Saudi government of the "facilitation of the near three-year theft of the Premier League's commerical rights" by backing a pirate service.
Amnesty International has also criticised the deal, citing the country's poor human rights record as reason to avoid a partnership.
Ms Cengiz said she feared the deal was about far more than football.
"This deal seems to be about buying something, but there is a wider picture: Saudi Arabia shows the world its face of reform, but it has another face where the reality is far from what is shown to the world," she said.
"We are not just talking about the murder of a human being but the efforts to keep all hopes regarding the future, to keep human rights alive, to support justice and to start a transformation in the Middle East."
The deal is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks.
