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Mainz to play Newcastle pre-season friendly despite fan protest

Bundesliga side Mainz will play their pre-season fixture against Newcastle despite a fan protest about the English club's Saudi Arabian owners.

A fans' group said the match should be cancelled as Newcastle was a "vehicle for asserting the interests of a regime that tramples on human rights".

It also said the country's "policies are diametrically opposed to the values u200bu200band mission statement of Mainz 05."

Mainz said cancelling was "not feasible" for "contractual" reasons.

It also said the match in Austria on 18 July would go ahead because it was "important for their pre-season preparations" but it would meet with fans to discuss the issue.