Saudi Arabia’s biggest football clubs have been acquiring the world’s best this summer since Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in January. To add, the state has been looking at buying football clubs as the world’s eyes slowly turn their attention to their league. The question begs is what is the final plan for Saudi Arabia, and do they plan to take football to them?
Sportswashing, simply defined, is a state’s (in this case Saudi Arabia) attempt to blemish over a negative issue within its state (which for Saudi Arabia is an appalling human rights record, specifically with women and LGBTQ+ groups) by improving the reputation through a sporting manner.
Saudi Arabia have not simply targeted football. Their riches (primarily from oil) have meant injecting billions into the most valuable sports. Now, in 2023, Golf is owned by PIF (Public Investment Fund), Formula 1 holds a race in Saudi Arabia and the greatest boxing events are held in the heart of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia are now attempting to conquer football, but not without criticism.
This summer, they have stated their early intent to coup a handful of elite professionals with high wages. Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Edouard Mendy are amongst names that have been prized away from elite European football clubs. Jordan Henderson is the most recent player to be rumoured with a move away, with the Liverpool player agreeing terms that would see him quadruple his wage and play under former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who now manages Al-Ettifaq.
The consensus from an English football point of view is that this is a concerning start to what could be the beginning of a Saudi Arabian empire in football, and it is somewhat worrying. It feels at this moment that the goal is simply leverage on to the world’s stage. You would have to assume that the end goal was is to completely dominate world football, with the best on the planet playing in their country and most of the world viewing their league. But why is this so bad?
It is a principle of morals. With Great Britain mostly aligning the view that women should be treated equally to men, and that everyone is equal no matter their preference just is not something that should be supported whatsoever from this country. Eventually, the public will be supporting Saudi’s regime directly if the league is a must watch.
The future of FIFA and UEFA is also in doubt. With globalisation greatly contributing to the shrinking world, Saudi Arabia could become the hub of football, with FIFA losing the great power it has. UEFA are already beginning to lose their position following the Super League threat in 2021, with most big clubs destined to see the Champions League fall. Could Saudi Arabia tempt a world club Champions League in the future?
The future is up for question, but the near future is unsettling for football fans who enjoy the purity of the game, as cash turns king. Saudi Arabia will continue to sign elite footballers, but is the capacity of how big the league can become unlimited?
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