After the takeover of Newcastle and the XXL transfer window of the Saudi Pro League, Mohammed bin Salman assures that his country does not intend to stop there.
But why is Saudi Arabia investing so much in sport? The question was asked of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince. Fox News asked him if his country was not engaging in « Sportwashing », a practice which consists of improving one’s image by investing in sport. But for the Saudi sovereign, it is a simple question of money.
“If sportwashing improves my GDP by 1%, then we will continue to do sportwashing,” promises “MBS”. I don’t care (about the term used, editor’s note). I have 1% GDP growth thanks to sport, and I am aiming for another 1.5% increase. Call it what you want, but we’re going to go after that 1.5%. »
The takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Arabia was widely criticized in the United Kingdom. “Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of leading sports companies like Newcastle United and the PGA Tour (Golf) is as much about erasing the country’s appalling human rights record as it is about adding a percent or two to the National GDP, said Felix Jakens, of Amnesty International UK, relays the BBC. The huge sums of Saudi money currently flowing through football and other sports make headlines, but behind the drama of these transactions, Saudi authorities are working to suppress human rights. The reign of Mohammed bin Salman has been a truly dark period for human rights in Saudi Arabia and no talk of economic visions or expansion into new sporting ventures should distract from that fact. »
The Saudis have already invested in many sports, such as golf with the LIV circuit, but also in F1, tennis and boxing events. In football, in addition to the takeover of Newcastle, the PIF (the Saudi sovereign wealth fund) took control of four of the country’s best clubs – Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr – which carried out the latter month a pharaonic recruitment by recruiting stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté and even Neymar.
2023-09-23 04:25:19
#resounding #announcement #Saudis
