There's absolutely no denying that there's a moral dilemma here. Regardless of the bluster and bravado on social media from some of our fans, I'd be mightily surprised (and hugely saddened) if you could find a single one who supports the way the Saudi government behave regarding human rights. Claiming it's not their/our concern? Well that's a different matter.
Some of us have engaged in debate, others have refused to but, as ever, other fans and the media will focus on the issues that make us look bad and them better so the message boards and websites are full of images of our fans with tea towels on their heads claiming we're going to buy Mbappe. Mind, I'm not saying we'd be any different if the boot was on the other foot but, by the same token, if fans of other clubs are being honest with themselves, neither would they if they found themselves in our situation.
There's definitely an argument to be had that, by them engaging in such a public way (given the massive global audience the Premier League has), the spotlight will be even more firmly on their human rights record and, as things are changing, albeit at glacial speed, maybe this enhanced exposure will help to maintain this progress. And no, I'm not pretending that we're in favour of the takeover because of this but every single angle on this at the minute is a negative one and other fans can see no positives at all.
The other problem is, as Dave says, we're going to see a lot more of this type of protest. It would be a lot easier to sit in the ground, look at a protest banner and think 'aye, they've got a point' if the motivation for it was a genuine interest in human rights.
Again, I'm not saying that these fans don't care about these issues but where were the banners at Man U who were in discussions with PIF over sponsorship, or at Man City where their owner actually owns the UAE version of PIF.. It's almost as if this is the latest virtue-signalling bandwagon and fans are jumping on it because it's an easy win to have a go at one of their rivals.
Taking the moral high ground is all well and good but why weren't these flag wavers there before? And that's a genuine question.