Saudi Arabia’s sports minister can no longer listen to his government’s accusations of sports laundering.
“Many of the people who are accusing us of this have not been to Saudi Arabia and have not seen what we are doing,” Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud recently told the BBC. Depending on how you interpret the government’s decisions, the immense financial investments in sport are only part of the “Vision 2030” that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched to modernize the country and make it less dependent on oil revenues.
Billions invested in sport
Bin Salman is chairman of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF (Public Investment Fund), which has reportedly allocated up to $778 billion (€710 billion) for investments. Some of the most significant acquisitions to date have been in sports. The PIF has been pumping money into sports for years, such as LIV Golf, Formula 1 and football.
In 2021, PIF acquired an 80 percent stake in Premier League club Newcastle United. Since last June, the sovereign wealth fund has also controlled 75% of the shares in top domestic clubs Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, which enabled the spectacular additions of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema.
The Frenchman Benzema is taking part in the Club World Cup with his team Al-Ittihad, the tournament in which all continental champions play against each other. This year will be the last time the competition will be held in its current format, with the 2025 edition being held in the United States with 32 teams.
The favorite to win the final on December 22nd is Champions League winners Manchester City, who are hoping for the return of Erling Haaland after his injury.
Amnesty: Repression is increasing
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have for years accused those in power in Riyadh of distracting from blatant human rights violations by hosting prestigious sporting events such as the Club World Cup.
“The human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is deteriorating in many ways,” said Amnesty interim director Stephen Cockburn. “Repression is increasing, especially against those who dare to criticize the authorities.”
FIFA laid out the red carpet
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has no problem with Saudi Arabia hosting the tournament.
“This tournament in Saudi Arabia will be the best FIFA Club World Cup ever and will delight boys and girls, men and women all over the world,” Infantino said back in September when the draw for the competition was made. But Saudi Arabia’s biggest coup is still to come. The Gulf state is also scheduled to host the 2034 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia is now the only country applying to host the competition. This became possible after the 2030 tournament was awarded to three continents simultaneously and the Asian federation’s bid for the 2034 tournament was withdrawn.
Approval by FIFA Congress in the final quarter of 2024 appears to be a mere formality after Infantino announced Saudi Arabia as the host on social media.
“The next tournaments will take place as follows – 2030 in Africa (Morocco), Europe (Portugal, Spain) and three anniversary games in South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay) and 2034 in Asia (Saudi Arabia),” he wrote on Instagram.
This article was originally written in German.
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2023-12-13 14:18:47
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