A showdown between two of the world’s greatest footballers made for an entertaining spectacle in Riyadh, but deep-pocketed Saudi Arabia won’t stop there as it strives to polish its image through sport. Deafening fireworks closed Thursday’s exhibition match between Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain and a composite team led by Saudi Pro League newcomer Cristiano Ronaldo, which was won 5-4 by the visitors. The friendly match had all the trimmings, complete with VAR, flamethrowers, ticker tape and a medal ceremony in front of over 60,000 fans at the venerable King Fahd Stadium.
But the desert kingdom is already promising more with a World Cup and Summer Olympics, maybe even a Winter Olympics, already in its sights, along with a slew of other major events.
“This is a big game, but… this is nothing (compared to) what will happen with Vision 2030,” said Turki Al Sheikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority, referring to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious development plan.
Just five years after Saudi Arabia first allowed non-Muslim tourists and women to drive, Saudi Arabia is trying to open its conservative, long-segregated society to the world.
The world’s largest oil exporter has thrown hundreds of millions at sporting deals, including the arrest of Ronaldo, F1 in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV Golf tour, regularly claiming it is “sportwashing” its human rights record.
In the years to come, the Saudis, who watched as neighboring Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in November and December, will host the men’s and women’s Asian Cup, the Olympic-sized Asian Games and even the Asian Winter Games on artificial snow.
It’s all part of grand plans by the de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to modernize the Saudi economy and end its dependence on oil before the world’s fuel transition.
“My leader will surprise Saudis with many more things,” Al Sheikh told AFP, referring to the crown prince.
“We are ready to meet his demands at any time. But what is to come is much greater.”
‘just the beginning’
Saudi Arabia is discussing a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece, while the sports minister told AFP last year that hosting the Olympics was the “ultimate goal”.
The biggest coup to date was the signing of Ronaldo by Al Nassr for more than €200 million, plus a separate €200 million deal to promote the World Cup bid, according to a source close to the club.
The shock transfer of the 37-year-old Portuguese has sparked speculation that Messi, who plays for PSG in Qatar but is a paid Saudi tourism ambassador, could join him in the Pro League.
“The transfer of Ronaldo is just the beginning,” said Danyel Reiche, a visiting professor at Georgetown University Qatar.
“Regardless of whether Messi goes to Saudi Arabia, we will see more superstars move to Saudi Arabia.”
Reiche said the “global spotlight” would now get stronger on issues in Saudi Arabia, such as women’s rights, LGBTQ and migrant workers, as happened in Qatar during the World Cup.
But he stressed that for the Gulf monarchies, high-profile sport is not just an attempt to cover up human rights concerns.
“In Saudi Arabia, it’s part of a broader approach of opening up society rather than distracting from human rights violations,” Reiche said.
“They recognize that they can’t rely on military and political power, they have to have soft power,” he added, saying Thursday’s game sent a “very strong message”.
“This is something that is being noticed all over the world. By having a game like that, it’s also like ‘look at how we’re changing’.”
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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