Rafa Benitez believes Newcastle United had to accept their takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment fund in order to continue competing in the Premier League.
PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle last year, having been in negotiations about buying from Mike Ashley for some time.
The potential deal had been blocked by the Premier League over issues regarding illegal streaming in 2020 but was finally sanctioned in 2021 when those issues were resolved.
The takeover faced extreme criticism from all angles, particularly human rights groups, who criticised the club for facilitating sports washing by the Saudi regime.
That has largely been ignored by Newcastle, who have welcomed the investment into the club by the Saudi group, who are officially the richest owners in world football and a far cry from Ashley, who refused to invest into the club for much of his ownership.
Former Newcastle manager Benitez, meanwhile, believes the takeover was a necessity for the Magpies to remain competitive in the Premier League.
“When I was there, everyone was standing together, happy about promotion and staying in the Premier League,” he told Kicker.
“But if you want to get ahead, you have to invest. Basically, we have to accept that some people have to make and take decisions.
“But everyone can do good and help in their environment, we can influence that, but not others. My family and I take care of many social projects.”
