Firstly, what is the Sela Cup?
Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover in 2021 via the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) marked the first major step out of Saudi Arabia by investors of the current era, and success was almost instantaneous, with the modest but emphatically supported Magpies being propelled to Champions League football, and a Carabao cup win in 2024 — the club’s first major piece of silverware since 1955.
But in August 2023, Newcastle United began to host the Sela Cup, a short pre-season tournament at the team’s St. James’s Park. Sela is a Saudi-owned events and entertainment company, not to mention Newcastle’s main shirt sponsor. And, well, just like the Club World Cup, money is a driving factor in this competition’s creation and participatory allure…though it is by no means as lucrative for Atlético Madrid as the FIFA Club World Cup as, for example. Atlético can only expect to pocket an estimated £1,000,000, mostly in appearance fees.
That being said, club exposure in Saudi Arabia is another added incentive, with previous iterations of the cup broadcasted live on major Saudi sports channels. This exposure could benefit Atleti, with Saudi-backed footballing projects currently an extremely ripe marketplace. Over recent years, the Saudi League has exploded with domestic investment, epitomised by Al-Nassr’s acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo. The competition chiefs also are fighting off the idea that the league is a “retirement home” for aging stars. For example, Gabri Veiga moved to Al-Ahli from Celta Vigo in 2023, and Enzo Millot is about to make the same move from Stuttgart.
(Veiga now is back in Europe; Atleti saw him up close in last weekend’s friendly against FC Porto.)
Who and when will Atlético play?
The format has changed in comparison with previous years. Instead of a round-robin format consisting of multiple teams, this year there will be only two scheduled games, for four teams:
Atlético Madrid Feminino vs Newcastle United Women – Saturday at 13:00 BST.
Atlético Madrid vs Newcastle United – Saturday at 16:00 BST.
Both games will be played back-to-back at St James’s Park, and both will go to penalties if necessary,after the 90 minutes. The winner of both will be awarded their own respective Sela Cup. Tickets are already sold out.
Why are Atlético competing in it?
Roots for Atlético’s participation began to form back in summer 2021, when the then-unemployed coach Eddie Howe embarked on a mind-expanding sabbatical to learn about different coaching styles.
His first destination? Atlético Madrid’s training complex.
Before this, Howe left Bournemouth A.F.C by mutual consent after an eight-year spell in which he guided them from the English football league’s fourth tier to the cherished land: the Premier League. This in itself was a miracle which is not talked about enough, but to top that, he stabilised the club in mid-table for five consecutive seasons, while clubs with bigger budgets and punching power fell down beneath them, though eventually Bournemouth would fall down to the second tier themselves. This is when Howe decided that both the club and himself needed to seek pastures new.
But before jumping straight into a new job, Howe felt he needed time for reflection, and for learning.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in 2022, one year into the Newcastle job, Howe claimed he owed a lot of Newcastle’s early success to the pivotal summer sabbatical in which he studied various high-level coaching sessions, including that of Simeone’s Atlético Madrid. Although it was brief, it was impactful.
Interestingly, he did state that he saw none of the so-called Simeone “dark arts” despite media hype about Newcastle’s newfound aggression and defensive organisation, something not really seen at Howe’s Bournemouth. It can be argued that this newfound defensive organisation and aggression emerged thanks to Howe’s first signing for Newcastle United: Atlético champion Kieran Trippier.
Trippier signed for Newcastle in January 2022 and became an instant fan favourite. A few months later, Trippier appeared on the True Geordie and revealed he was coming back to the northeast of England with improved technical and mental skills from his experiences under Cholo Simeone. He lauded Simeone’s relentlessly-demanding nature, his use of psychology, and the way he commands respect. Improvement in the defensive side of Trippier’s game was noticeable, especially for those who observed his Tottenham years. He was more determined, more disciplined, showed more grit…I think we can safely assume whom could have influenced such characteristics.
Due in large part to this welcomed social media exposure, and the connections formed between Trippier and the players/staff of Atlético Madrid, it is believed that Atlético and Newcastle have a warm and cordial relationship. Atlético see increased links with the English Premier League, its following and its potential investors as a win-win situation, regardless of the outcome of this tournament.