Well, now it turns out that Saudi Arabia is an “autocratic regime that violates women’s rights.” At a good time. Better late than never. But the process now seems irreversible: the sheikhs – Olympic champions in the “throwing of petrodollars” – have in fact long since got their hands on significant slices of world football, without even disdaining tennis (see the latest “monster” tournament won by Sinner ) and basketball. But let’s go back to football: the rise to men’s football – thanks above all to the (very interested) political support of Gianni Infantino, FIFA president – is there for all to see; the women’s one is still underway.
Maybe this is why women are alarmed. The fact is that 106 professional footballers from 24 countries sent a letter to President Infantino, protesting against the sponsorship agreement with the Saudi oil company Aramco, money which, according to the signatories, would go to finance an “autocratic regime that systematically violates women’s rights and criminalizes the LGBTQI+ community.”
And so, a few days after the conclusion of the Six Kings Slam (the controversial event that brought six world tennis stars to compete for six million euros in an exhibition tournament among the desert dunes), Saudi Arabia returns to the table of accused in the “Global Grand Court of Sport”, dragging with them FIFA into yet another problem.
The indiscretion was launched by the Spanish newspaper The Countrygiving an account of how the letter aims to break the agreement with the Saudi oil company Aramco which aims to become one of FIFA’s main international partners thanks to an agreement signed last April and valid until the end of 2027. In Sponsorship contract also includes Adidas, Qatar Airways, Hyundai and Coca-Cola. Among the promoters of the “anti-Arab” initiative there is also the Spanish striker Maitane Lopez and the captain of the Canadian national team, Jessie Fleming, who denounce: “The Saudi authorities have spent thousands of millions on sports patronage to try to divert the ‘Beware of the regime’s brutal human rights record, but the treatment of women speaks for itself.’ In addition to issues of gender equality and human rights, according to the signatories, Aramco would also have “a clear responsibility in the climate crisis” (well, here, to be honest, the “climate crisis” seems a little off topic…ndr).
In light of all this, the 106 female footballers conclude, “Aramco has no right to sponsor our beautiful sport”. So far, no reply from the oil lords. But they must be understood… For those accustomed to the harem, recognizing women’s role as interlocutors represents an almost impossible task.
