Saudi Arabia, a nation awash in oil wealth and ambition, is taking big leaps in the world of sports, wielding its financial might like a cudgel to buy influence, prestige, and power. But behind the power of wealth lies a troubling truth: Saudi Arabia’s ascent in sports is a story of unchecked wealth and dubious motives.
The Saudi sports takeover is not a case of a wealthy nation investing in athletic endeavours—it’s a calculated strategy to whitewash the kingdom’s tarnished image and distract from its egregious human rights abuses and repressive regime. By pouring billions into acquiring sporting events, teams, and sponsorships, Saudi Arabia seeks to cloak itself in the aura of sportsmanship and international fanfare while deflecting attention from its appalling record on issues such as freedom of speech, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Take, for instance, the recent influx of Saudi investment in football clubs across Europe. From Manchester United to Newcastle United, Saudi billionaires have swooped in with their deep pockets, promising to inject funds and revitalize struggling teams. But let’s not be fooled by this facade of benevolence. Behind closed doors, these investments serve a more insidious purpose: to sanitize the Saudi regime’s reputation and provide a platform for “sports-washing”—the use of sports to gloss over human rights abuses. Saudi Arabia’s foray into sports isn’t confined to football alone. The kingdom has aggressively pursued hosting rights for high-profile events like Formula 1 races, golf tournaments, and boxing bouts, shelling out exorbitant sums to secure these spectacles. Such investments serve as a smokescreen to divert attention from the kingdom’s systemic oppression and authoritarian rule.
But perhaps the most egregious example of Saudi Arabia’s sports takeover is its attempted acquisition of the Premier League’s Newcastle United. The proposed takeover, led by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), drew widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, politicians, and even some football fans. Make no mistake: Saudi Arabia’s sports takeover is not about the love for athletics or promoting healthy competition—it’s a cynical ploy to buy influence, launder reputations, and silence dissent. By allowing the kingdom to continue its unchecked expansion in the world of sports, we risk legitimizing and emboldening one of the most repressive regimes on the planet.
