Alan Shearer passionately defends Chelsea and Newcastle fans in speech on clubs' owners

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Alan Shearer has launched a staunch defence of Chelsea and Newcastle supporters by insisting they "don't have to agree" with the owners of their clubs.

Football club ownership has been a hotly-debated topic this season since the Magpies were taken over by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October. The PIF is chaired by Saudi royal Mohammed bin Salman, whose regime saw 81 men executed in one day earlier in March.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been owned by Roman Abramovich since 2003 but his tenure will soon end as the Blues are up for sale. The Russian oligarch has been sanctioned by the government due to his links to Vladimir Putin, who brought war to Eastern Europe by invading Ukraine in February.

The ownership of the two Premier League clubs has raised questions of whether fans should continue to support their teams as usual or take a stand against those who deserve to be condemned.

Shearer discussed the topic at length ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup clash with Middlesbrough on Saturday evening and concluded "it's not the fans' fault at all" who is in charge of their clubs. The Newcastle legend told BBC Sport : "You can still support your club and want your club to win. But, you don't have to agree with your owners and who and what they are.

"You can condemn wars all around the world, we all do. Whether that's in Ukraine now, or Yemen or indeed the