In this section, I will be providing sources, notes, and other resources as to how Saudi Arabia could be in the wrong in this situation.
Money is outpacing morality and taking advantage of the sport's greed and inequity. "Human Rights Watch recently reported that Saudi border guards killed hundreds of migrants along the Kingdom’s border with Yemen. A Saudi-led military coalition has been accused of war crimes in the same neighbouring country. The Saudi government was responsible for the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi...All that is unlikely to matter to many Newcastle supporters. Success on the pitch matters more than the politics of the club’s owners." (McDougall)". This article highlights how the players and owners in the soccer world are ignoring the inhumane human rights policies that Saudi Arabia have in place because of the money they are able to offer to both players and foreign clubs. Money without a doubt brings success, but at what cost?
"Like China, Saudi’s newfound focus on football is driven by both economic and other reasons. A part of MBS’s signature Vision 2030 initiative, investing in sports – including football – as a way to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil as well as a tool of soft power, through which it can build international prestige...For a country like Saudi Arabia, football can be a means to cleanse its reputation as a regressive and autocratic state, which persecutes dissenters and people of the LGBTQ+ community, treats women like second-class citizens, and allegedly commits war crimes in countries like Yemen" (Rana). This article is more informational than it is opiniated, but it gives reasons as to how Saudi Arabia could be in the wrong and how they could potentially be disrupting the soccer world order. There are comments about the money being offered and the human rights involved in Saudi Arabia.
"Mohammad al-Shakhouri barely had any teeth left on March 12, 2022, the day he was brought before the executioner. They had been punched out during interrogation, Amnesty International said. A Saudi citizen, al-Shakhouri had been sentenced to death for participating in a demonstration, and he 80 other men were beheaded in Saudi Arabia, a country that has been making headlines for the past two weeks. Not for the hard work of their executioners, or for the trampled rights of women, LGTBI+ people and immigrants, but over the signing of Karim Benzema by Al-Ittihad on a deal worth $107.6 million per season, a figure from another galaxy that can only be competed against in that corner of the planet" (Bronte). This article by El Pais, a Spanish newspaper, describes how Saudi Arabia is not in the news for the atrocities they commit on the people living there, but the fact that they are able to spend humungous sums of money on soccer players. The complaint is that people are ignoring the wrongdoings due to the success of their new soccer empire.
"An aggressive Saudi Arabia is an NBA nightmare...Can the NBA fight it? About as well as the PGA did, probably. There will be plenty of players who decline offers due to Saudi Arabia’s well-documented record on human rights violations. But, like with the PGA, there will be a lot willing to overlook them for the money" (Mannix). This article by Sports Illustrated covers how terrifying Saudi Arabia is in the sports world and how their takeover of the sport of soccer has been so large that it's affected the thinking process of other sports leagues. The money being offered wouldn't only draw soccer players. If Saudi Arabia decided that they wanted to become competitive in basketball, they would without a doubt be able to win over some of the world's best basketball players, similarly to how they are doing with soccer.
"Speaking to the Athletic, Henderson admitted that though he wouldn’t be against continuing to wear the rainbow armband in the Saudi Pro League, he wouldn’t do so if he felt it disrespected the religion of the majority of people in the country" (Browning). The point of this article is the reaction, complaints, and alleged betrayal that European soccer fans feel. Jordan Henderson, who at one point was the captain of Liverpool Football Club, one of England's top and premier clubs, is now on a Saudi Arabian team. What made Henderson such a universally loved player was the rainbow captains arm band he used to wear, representing the LGBTQ+ community. Due to Saudi Arabia's regligious laws, he is no longer allowed to do such a thing. Soccer fans are upset as they believe one of soccer's "good guys" switched up his beliefs to make more money.
"The Gulf kingdom is one of the states accused of investing in sport and using high-profile events to 'sports wash' its reputation in other parts of the world. Premier League club Newcastle were bought last year by a group led by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund - prompting similar concerns. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which provided 80% of funds for the deal, gave the Premier League "legally binding assurances" that it was run separately from the state. Many Newcastle fans welcomed the takeover, but critics condemned the deal as "an extremely bitter blow for human rights defenders"(BBC). This article on BBC gives reasons as to how Saudi Arabia is in the wrong and provides evidence in them sports washing to clear their reputation. The article provides examples on Saudi Arabia using the death penalty, them jailing women's rights activists, and the war in Yemen.
"The Saudi Arabian authorities, today, do not interfere in these matters [in the case of expatriates], although the law does continue to prohibit cohabitation outside of marriage" (Telford). The complaint in this article is how it appears that Saudi Arabia has both turned a blind eye to players they have signed to play in their soccer league and on the laws they have in place for everyone else in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the driving figures in Saudi Arabia's campaign as the first massive signing, is allowed to live with his girlfriend. In Saudi Arabia, a man and a woman are not allowed to live together unless the two are married. This rule has bent for Ronaldo, and it shows the unfair treatment Saudi Arabia is okay to progress their soccer league and by proxy their economy.
"In other words, Saudi Arabia is accused of trying to launder its reputation so that it is no longer synonymous with a brutal absolute monarchy that jails activists, carries out public beheadings and oppresses women and the LGBTQ community, and becomes known instead as the smiling face of international soccer success" (Smith). This is another article about how Saudi Arabia is attempting to cover up their wrongdoings through the love of soccer, but in a more intense way. Saudi Arabia is attempting to change the world's perception of them through sports, an almost universal love language. Saudi Arabia wants people to think of them as the smiley captial of soccer, not for the attrocities they've commited. This article is attempted to spread awareness for Saudi Arabia's theoretical brainwashing.
“This deal was always a blatant attempt by the government of Saudi Arabia to try to sportswash its abysmal human rights record by buying into the passion, prestige and pride of Tyneside football. The fact that this sportswashing bid has failed will be seen by human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia as a sign that their suffering has not been entirely overlooked. Numerous peaceful Saudi human rights activists are currently behind bars, and of course a Saudi journalist was grotesquely murdered by agents of the Saudi state less than two years ago" (Amnesty International UK). This article shows the overall opinion of the UK people, the current home of soccer. A lot of people were not happy with Saudi Arabia's bid and purchase of Newcastle United, a beloved English soccer club. They believed the bid to be an attempt to manipulate the world's mind to overlook the wrongdoings of Saudi Arabia, something this article says has not worked.
"Howe remains unlikely to forget the post-match press conference at Chelsea in March 2022. Under a barrage of questions, he resolutely declined to condemn the execution of 81 men in the kingdom the previous day. “I’m going to stick to talking football, that’s all I’m concerned with,” he said, rather awkwardly" (Taylor). This article highlights how Newcastle United has changed due to their new Saudi owners. It particularly highlights a post-match interview the press had with Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe. In the interview, Howe chooses to ignore questions asking him his opinions on Saudi Arabian atrocities. This shows how those who love Newcastle United and just soccer in general feel betrayed.