Saudi Arabian government uses football to clean image – 01/22/2023 – Sport

Committed to hosting the 2030 World Cup, Saudi Arabia is pursuing an agenda to clean up its image, shaken amid accusations of human rights violations and truculence on the part of its government.

As an asset, the Saudis are willing to organize international sporting events and attract world football stars. For this, they rely on funds from the Public Investment Fund, a fund that belongs to the royal family and has an estimated assets of R$ 2.5 trillion.

The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, hired by Al Nassr with an annual salary of R$ 1 billion, will lead this line, believe the Saudis. During Paris Saint-Germain’s visit to Riyadh for a friendly, rumors were repeated among Arab fans and journalists about a possible signing of Lionel Messi.

Argentine reporter Miguel Osovi, invited by the organization to accompany the match, had to answer about Messi’s fate.

Riyadh hosted, between Sunday (15th) and Thursday (19th), the decisions of the Spanish Super Cups (Barcelona 3-1 over Real Madrid) and Italy (Internazionale 3-0 over Milan), in addition to PSG’s victory by 5 to 4 over the combined Al Nassr/Al Hilal. The friendly gained great repercussions because of the duel between Cristiano and Messi.

The balance of the World Cup in Qatar encouraged the Arabs even more. The most popular sporting event on Earth has put Doha, population less than 3 million, at the center of the world for a month.

With an exciting title decision, the competition covered up allegations of bribery and human rights abuses. Many migrant workers hired to build the World Cup venues were injured and killed on site.

“People here, in Arabia, love football, and hosting a World Cup brings very positive publicity to the country. Look at the example of Qatar,” said Bassam Harram, who was born in Syria and has lived in Riyadh for seven years.

Even before the ball rolled in Doha, the Saudis saw this make-up effect in football.

Regarded as one of the most repressive world leaders, Prince Mohammad bin Salman is at the forefront of a plan, called “Vision 2030”, to encourage tourism and attract multinationals to Saudi Arabia.

The country has offered foreign companies financial subsidies and support for training human resources. There is a desire among the Saudis to reduce dependence on oil, which today represents almost 70% of their revenues, and to diversify the economy.

At the World Cup in Doha, Salman, the de facto head of the nation, was accompanied by a delegation and sat next to Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA (International Football Federation).

The host of the World Cup in 2030 will be defined by FIFA until next year. So far, there are pretensions of a joint candidacy from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, as well as a split between Spain, Portugal and Ukraine – the 2026 competition will have games in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Saudi Arabia’s candidacy could follow the shared model and include Egypt and Greece.

Meanwhile, the country of the Persian Gulf has been eating by the edges in other sports. It debuted on the F1 circuit in 2021 and will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

In soccer, Saudis struggle to do their homework. After the World Cup in Russia in 2018, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation began offering scholarships for children and young people to train for four years in Spain.

Access for the female public to the stadiums was released in 2018, the same year that women also gained the right to drive. Four years earlier, a woman, who bought a ticket online and entered the stadium in disguise, was arrested during an Asian Champions League match.

There are issues that hinder the success of a Saudi candidacy. Under Islamic law, Saudi women are required to wear an abaya (a tunic that covers the body) and a hijab (a veil over the head and neck) to hide their body shape.

The country is still haunted by executions. A survey by the AFP news agency, based on media information, points out that Saudi authorities executed 24 people between January and October last year. Executions are usually by beheading.

Another barrier is in relation to alcoholic beverages, whose sale and consumption are prohibited in Saudi Arabia. One of the main sponsors of FIFA and the World Cup is the Budweiser beer brand.

This was already a problem in Qatar, but in the host of the last Cup, the legislation is more lenient. Beer was banned in stadiums, but it could be consumed in establishments across the country and at official parties for fans, the Fan Fests.

The reporter traveled to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the organization of the Riyadh All-Star, which had as attraction the duel PSG × Al Nassr / Al Hilal