Saudi Arabia’s purchase of a Premier League club takes the sportswashing concept to a new level. It is one of the worst human\u002Drights abusers in the world
The oil-rich nation purchased the 128-year-old club in northeast England this month via the country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is in theory separate from the state but which, like the country itself, is run by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. For some fans, this was blessed news.
Not everyone is so thrilled. Other Gulf states have for years now been involved in soccer — the biggest club in Paris is owned by Qatar’s royal family and Manchester City, the reigning English champions, are owned by the rulers of Abu Dhabi — and there is no lack of unsavoury billionaires running other clubs. The practice has given rise to the term “sportswashing,” where a country like Qatar launders its problematic human-rights record through the wholesome appeal of a beloved global sport.
But Saudi Arabia’s purchase of a Premier League club takes the sportswashing concept to a new level. It is, broadly speaking, one of the worst human-rights abusers in the world, and has recent examples to show for it, from the imprisonment and torture of peaceful activists to the war crimes in Yemen to the state-sanctioned murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In contrast to the jubilant scenes at St.
But it seems inevitable that such moves will fail to stop Newcastle from a march upward. Clubs that can spend freely, and then spend some more to paper over mistakes, have a huge competitive advantage. Which also raises the question: How long until the Saudis, or one of the more agreeable but still ridiculously wealthy petro-states, decides to scoop up a big North American franchise? At any given time there are MLB, NHL or NBA owners looking for an injection of cash, often from local taxpayers.
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