I for one welcome our new Saudi overlords.
Are Saudi Arabia taking over world sport?
- Thread starter Port Vale Devil
- Start date
That's what I was thinking too. It won't be the big continental clubs led by Florentino Pérez, but Saudi Arabia that is a distinct possibility. UEFA would be powerless in the face of that wealth.
I only read the title but i instantly agreed.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/jordan-hendersons-saudi-league-move-would-benefit-football/
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/jordan-hendersons-saudi-league-move-would-benefit-football/
A tory paper doing a culture war victory lap because someone who has spoken in favour of gay rights is moving to a country that executes gay people?
It was more an attempt of humour that Jordan Henderson leaving England would be good for football. Being a Man Utd supporter and all that.
Funny that there’s so much indignation about Henderson, Neville, Beckham, and Qatar. And not a mention of Newcastle or City, which are exactly the same thing.
You can find stuff like that in the same paper here. But you're correct. They should have thrown it in there.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/newcastle-uniteds-success-comes-at-a-heavy-price/
Last edited:
Saudi Arabia yesterday won the Overwatch World cup. To normal people, this is an e-sports tournament for a game owned by Blizzard which is owned by Microsoft.
It begins. This thread was definitely prophetic. The Overwatch World cup. Incredible achievement.
They're also buying into the Indian Premier League(cricket).
They seem to be in competition with the Qataris to a degree. Having tiny neighbors Qatar host a WC and now become an interlocutor in middle east peace cannot go unanswered.
Well, what about 2034 football world cup?
https://www.ft.com/content/7f86882f-6cc6-4259-9520-6fa07e9669be
Well that's definitely a sign. No sarcastic post towards that.
World sport are just on a routine visit to the Saudi embassy. Their girlfriend waits outside. It’s a normal, everyday occurrence. Nothing to worry about. Slight delays happen all the time.
Bone chilling
I thought Saudi was hot!
Behind a pay wall annoyingly - what's the gist of it?
I don't know if I am allowed to share this but you can bypass a lot of paywalls with archive.ph.
Or simply disabling the wapo script.
Pretty balanced, discusses the positives, as well as the warts, of ME countries striving to hold more international events as well as buying into current sports franchises. Touches on the hypocrisy of the USA co-hosting the 2026 WC as well as Europe wrestling with the influence of ME money in their domestic leagues.
Pointedly said that the NFL is the only major sport with no sovereign wealth fund money currently, but they have created a task force to look into the possibility in the future.
Saudi Arabia pay large amounts of money to sporting organisations/personnel to have them host events in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia…
That's quite interesting considering the NFL is by FAR the professional sports league with the highest revenue. Their revenue per match is astonishing. I wonder why those American billionaires would want the oil states crashing in into their rich gated community?
Thank you.
Probably for the possibility of more money
Hope you get a chance to read it, there are quite a few nuggets of info that are interesting.
The Saudis are obviously making a massive push for global relevance, especially after watching the Qataris do it over the past few years, so this would seem like a logical project to complement MBS' 2030 vision. At least they know oil money is finite in the age of renewables and electricity and are making an effort to diversify towards the right direction.
It's an interesting point - but if energy trends are to go by, Saudi / Middle East will be providing 40% of Europe's hydrogen demands by 2030/2040. So, there's still going to be considerable reliance on them even in the renewable age.
There's already plans being made into feasibility exercises re virtual or physical pipelines to transport this gas.
League thread has been bumped with yet more speculation of Saudi involvement in the Champions League, this time in the form of Al-Nassr being handed a spot as "one of the three most popular clubs in the world".
Clearly bollocks, but I can definitely see a Saudi-led super league rearing its head before long.
Clearly bollocks, but I can definitely see a Saudi-led super league rearing its head before long.
Wouldn't be surprised if they try to weasel a couple of their clubs into the CL, especially given CR7 and all the other known players they've imported.
They'll try, I just don't see why anyone would be on board (other than those at UEFA whose hands are being greased).
The only thing the European elite have over the Saudi clubs now is access to elite, presigious competition. Lose that, and there's no reason for the best players to turn down big money moves to Saudi.
That's before you get to the "lesser" European sides who would be losing out on places to make room.
UEFA have just avoided one attempt at a splinter league. This sort of move would surely justify it?
UEFA will let them in before the super league break can happen. Those UEFA bosses cannot have a regular 9-5 job and will allow anything before their main source of income breaks away. Just look at the video of how frantic Ceferin was in those few hours when the Superleague break was still in limbo. English football fans saved his beef then, but Saudi has too much money to be denied.
As above, it's not in any club's interest to let them in.
Of course it is - the club owners will get cash from Saudi. The only big clubs against the super league were the Germans due to fan ownership.
The difference there was that the clubs involved were the established elite.
There is no benefit to them to add one or more Saudi clubs to that group.
The only real difference between the top European sides and the super-rich Saudi sides is the level and prestige of the competition they play in.
Simply put, there'd have been no reason for Mbappe to turn the move down in the summer if the Saudi clubs had a seat at the same table, and the European sides, in general, can't hope to compete with that level of financial pull.
The Saudis are getting their tentacles everywhere. Big prize pool for a snooker tournament with a golden ball and possible 167 break
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/68027678.amp
Also sorting the 5 Queensberry fighters v 5 from Matchroom for an event over there
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...berry-hearn-warren-saudi-arabia-b2481388.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/68027678.amp
Also sorting the 5 Queensberry fighters v 5 from Matchroom for an event over there
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...berry-hearn-warren-saudi-arabia-b2481388.html
Not sport, but...
Top man.
Top man.
If only Newcastle and the majority of their fans had a bit of integrity like this gent. As opposed to bending over and opening up for Blood money.
Yep. I remember during the LIV golf rollout, one of the British reporters ask "Is there anyone you wouldn't take money from?" to the golfers and I thought that was a great question.