Saudi Sportswashing

By Andrew Xie  Dec. 11, 2024

Emerging from obscurity to becoming a global sports powerhouse is no small feat. For Saudi Arabia, the key is a bold, multi-faceted strategy backed by billions of dollars from the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) which has made the country into a  formidable player in the global sports industry. 

Saudi Arabia’s expansion into international sports is central to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) Vision 2030, a sweeping reform plan launched in 2016 to diversify the country’s oil-dependent economy while scaling its global influence. Soccer has taken center stage, with the Kingdom’s PIF acquiring Premier League club Newcastle United in 2021 after a lengthy legal dispute. Since the takeover, the club has spent an estimated $504 million on player transfers, which would be even higher were it not for the Premier League’s strict financial regulations. 

Domestically, Saudi Arabia has worked to revitalize the Saudi Pro League, which struggled to attract a significant international audience despite the national team’s consistent World Cup qualification. This changed dramatically in January 2023 when Pro League club Al Nassr signed global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. The deal—reportedly worth $220 million annually—has increased the league’s revenue by 650 percent. 

“One of my favorite soccer players, Neymar Jr, recently moved to the Saudi Pro League. His decision was likely heavily influenced by his contract, as other more established European clubs were also trying to sign him,” Shota Yu ‘25 said. 

But Saudi Arabia’s sports investments extend far beyond soccer. The creation of LIV Golf has disrupted the professional golf world, challenging the dominance of long-established tours like the European Tour by offering lucrative contracts and substantial prize pools. 

“Although LIV golf may have made the professional golf atmosphere much more exciting, I still dislike LIV, as they simply steal top players from the PGA Tour by buying out players with massive contracts to draw attention away from Saudi Arabia’s human rights record,” Ethan Yin ‘29 said. 

However, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious sports investments have sparked accusations of “sports washing”—a strategy in which nations use sports to polish their reputation and divert attention from human rights issues. Danyel Reiche, a professor at Georgetown University-Qatar, contends that the term “sports washing” is misleading, as it oversimplifies the Kingdom’s multifaceted approach to global politics. 

Saudi Arabia was recently awarded the right to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, prompting it as the sole bidder. In response, , prompting 11 human rights organizations to raise—including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch—to raise concerns about the Kingdom’s treatment of its citizens and workers. Like Saudi Arabia, Qatar found itself at the center of the sportswashing debate when it hosted the 2022 World Cup, spending an estimated $220 billion on the event despite having little soccer history. The country faced criticism for its harsh treatment of migrant workers, with reports of exploitative labor practices, poor living conditions  and thousands of worker deaths during World Cup preparations.  

MBS has insisted that Saudi Arabia’s increased involvement in sports is driven by economic diversification, job creation and nurturing talent—not improving its international image. In a recent interview with Fox News, he also emphasized that he is unconcerned with criticism over sports washing, as long as the kingdom’s GDP reaps the benefits. As the Kingdom continues integrating sports into its broader international strategy and grows its global influence, it will undoubtedly continue to face scrutiny.