Saudi Arabia is spending a fortune on sport
It says this will help diversify its economy. Critics call it “sportswashing”
On august 11th Saudi Arabia’s biggest football competition, the Saudi Pro League, will kick off for the 2023-24 season. Last season’s tournament did not exactly set pulses racing. Just 9,300 fans attended games on average. For three of the past five seasons the top scorer has been Abderrazak Hamdallah, a Moroccan who has not played for any of the world’s top clubs.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Scoring political goals”
Briefing August 12th 2023
From the August 12th 2023 edition
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