Saudi Arabia is regularly criticised by human rights groups for its detention and torture of political opponents. The murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 also led to worldwide outrage.
However, human rights organisations have long accused Saudi Arabia of using sport to whitewash this poor human rights record.
In this regard, CNN reported that Saudi authorities have poured vast amounts of money into sporting ventures in reference to Messi and Ronaldo’s friendly match in the Kingdom.
The CNN report considered the event as another example of sportswashing – a phenomenon whereby corrupt or autocratic regimes invest in sport and sports events to whitewash their international reputation.
The US paper quoted Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, as saying that “Ronaldo’s big-money transfer to Al Nassr and Messi’s engagement by the Saudi authorities as a tourism ambassador are both part of Riyadh’s aggressive sportswashing programme, with the authorities seeking to exploit the celebrity appeal of elite sport to deflect attention from the country’s appalling human rights record.”
He added: “Footballers like Ronaldo and Messi have huge profiles and we’d like to see them resisting being used as the famous faces of sportswashing, including by speaking out about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia.”
MBS Lavish Spending
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has spent billions of dollars on high-profile international sporting events in a bid to bolster his reputation.
Saudi Arabia recently bought English Premier League club Newcastle United and sparked controversy by attracting with vast sums of money some of the world’s top golf players to compete in a new tournament that kicked off in one of former US President Donald J. Trump’s resorts.
Tiger Woods reportedly turned down a US$700 to 800 million offer to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series. However, others, including Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau, have jumped on the Saudi bandwagon.
Saudi Arabia has also signed a 10-year, $650m deal for a Formula One motor racing event, partnered with World Wrestling Entertainment for annual shows, and hosted the world heavyweight championship rematch between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz.
Less than a year after signing with Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain, soccer superstar Lionel Messi has emerged as the tourism ambassador for the Saudi Red Sea port of Jeddah.
Much like with Formula One and professional golf, the world’s biggest oil exporter has in recent years leveraged its immense wealth to assert itself on the eSports stage, hosting glitzy conferences and snapping up established tournament organisers.
Last January, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund launched the Savvy Gaming Group, which acquired top eSports firms ESL Gaming and FACEIT in deals reportedly worth a total of $1.5 billion.
Other media reports earlier revealed that the Riyadh-based Public Investment Fund acquired more than $3 billion worth of stock in three U.S. video-game makers during the fourth quarter, according to a regulatory filing. They include Activision Blizzard Inc., Electronic Arts Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
Salaries not enough!
A Twitter campaign was launched in Saudi Arabia called “Yes for a Raise” has taken cyberspace by storm, with thousands of tweets went viral stating dissatisfaction with the country’s economy.
The Twitter activists pointed out that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s lavish spending on sports events has no benefit on the Saudi citizen’s daily life problems including housing problems, inflation and high prices.
