Newcastle fans celebrate the sale of the club to Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/Oli Scarff
The Crown Saudi Arabia's prince admitted for the first time that he was «eroding» her image and would «continue to do so» by investing in teams such as Newcastle United, LIV Golf and inviting country of Cristiano Ronaldo.
In a stunning confession, Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the Gulf state, said he would «continue to engage in sports washing» because of its impact on the country's economy and he doesn't care. what others think about it.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of investing hundreds of millions of pounds in sport to distract attention from the country's human rights abuses. These include the execution of 81 men in one day last year, violations of women's rights, the criminalization of homosexuality, restrictions on freedom of speech and its role in the war in Yemen.
Bin Salman was also personally involved in the brutal murder of a journalist. dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, although the crown prince denies any involvement.
“If washing sports increases my GDP by one percent, then I will continue to wash sports,” he told Fox News.
Mohammed bin Salman has been surprisingly candid about Saudi Arabia's use of sports. Photo: Reuters/Saudi Royal Court
Asked if he agreed with the term coined by critics of such activities, he replied: “I don’t care. I have one percent of GDP growth from sports, and I'm aiming for another one and a half percent — whatever you want to call it. We will receive this one and a half percent.”
Bin Salman currently heads his country's Public Investment Fund, which last year led the takeover of Newcastle and launched LIV Golf. The PIF has also taken control of Saudi Arabia's four leading clubs — Al Ahly, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nasr — who have recently acquired high-profile players including Ronaldo and the reigning Ballon d'Or winner » Karim Benzema.< /p>
Bin Salman's apparent admission of personal involvement in the sporting purge raises further questions about the Newcastle takeover, which was approved by the Premier League only after PIF provided «legally binding guarantees» that the Saudi state would not be involved in the running of the club.
The launch of LIV Golf also sparked a civil war in the sport, which will controversially end with the merger of the Rebel Tour and the PGA.
Welcoming the proposed deal, Bin Salman said: «This is a game changer for the golf industry.» . You won't have competition and you can focus on growing the game, which is good for the players and fans who love golf.»
In addition to investing in football and golf, Saudi Arabia has become a destination for all sorts of golf events in recent years. more major sporting events. It will host the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in December and is expected to bid to host the World Cup itself in either 2030 or 2034.
It has now become a regular fixture on the Formula One calendar, home to some of boxing's biggest world title fights and has recently gained a foothold in men's tennis. However, serious backlash over proposals to host the WTA Women's Tennis Association finals led to it being ignored in favor of Cancun, Mexico.
The Premier League declined to comment on Bin Salman's remarks.
In March, its chief executive Richard Masters told MPs he could not reveal whether he was investigating who controlled Newcastle and whether he was reviewing his approval of the club's takeover.
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This followed the publication documents in a US court case in which the PIF was described as “a sovereign instrument of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” PIF Governor and Newcastle Chairman Yasser Al-Rumayyan was described as a «sitting government minister» with «sovereign immunity».
The Saudi Pro League's record spending over the summer is being closely watched by the Premier League, which unexpectedly made a place on the agenda for the new league at a shareholders' meeting with its 20 member clubs.
A source familiar with the meeting said England's senior management detailed the recent window in Saudi Arabia, where £239 million was spent on English talent alone. However, the Premier League still spends significantly more than Saudi Arabia.
Clubs spent £331 million on EFL talent alone this year. Overall, clubs spent a total of £2.351 billion but generated £1.297 billion in sales, with a net spend of £1.055 billion, down from summer 2022.
Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK's head of priority campaigns and people at risk, said: «Saudi Arabia's acquisition of high-profile sports companies such as Newcastle United and the PGA Tour is as much about the sports laundering of a dire rights situation person in the country, as well as adding one or two percent to the national GDP.
“The huge amounts of Saudi money currently flowing through football and other sports are creating most of the headlines, but behind the drama of these transactions Saudi authorities are busily hacking and violating human rights.
“Ignoring the 'washing sports' label is one thing, but Mohammed bin Salman also doesn't seem to care about the peaceful activists languishing behind bars in Saudi Arabia , and the 196 people executed in the country last year, or the personal pain of Jamal Khashoggi's family, who are still desperate to see justice in his case.
Mohammed bin Salman's rule has been a truly dark time for human rights in the country . Saudi Arabia, and no talk about economic prospects or the expansion of new sports ventures should distract from this fact.»
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