Different football, Formula 1 and golf competitions are controlled mainly by businessmen belonging to three Middle Eastern nations: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, they have stratospheric contracts which have given them influence in the most relevant clubs and competitions in Europe.
It is not a news that the Arab world is developing so massively thanks to sports all over the world. a few days ago Saudi Arabia organized the Spanish Super Cup that Barcelona realized, now they were also the headquarters of the Italian Super Cup where the confrontation was the “Derby della Madonnina”, Inter against Milan, with Inter crowned champion . And to close this series of events, PSG and a combination of Saudi Arabia’s two biggest clubs they will face each other in a friendly marked by the duel between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo . All this in a week with exorbitant sums of money for the host country of said competitions.
But these cases are only recent examples of the great expansion that Arab countries have had in the world of sport, either by organizing competitions or by being official sponsors of big clubs in the old continent. Within this set of nations, three mainly stand out: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. The amounts they disbursed far exceed the $200 million which includes the powers of football, golf, Formula 1, among others.
From 2018 to the present, the mentioned part of the Middle East has organized four times the FIFA Club World Cup (Three times Qatar and one United Arab Emirates); twice the Spanish Super Cup (both in Saudi Arabia); the last world cup ; five times the Abu Dhabi GP (United Arab Emirates) and the debut of the Saudi Arabian GP in 2021 which has two editions; three times part of the European Tour to play golf Saudi Arabia with a next meeting at United Arab Emirates; In addition to the events mentioned above concerning the Italian Super Cup and the match between Messi and Ronaldo.
The recent role that Arab countries are assuming in the world of sport is also supported by their political leaders since, in this way, they would seek to whitewash their image in the face of controversies linked to human rights which are always discussed around this type of government. Moreover, according to English media, the match between PSG and the Riyadh All Stars, which will feature the captaincy of Ronaldo, would take place to seek to promote a Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
And said the bid could be given after the success of Qatar 2022, who were named hosts in December 2010, a FIFA decision that was full of controversy over the choice of a country that was irrelevant when it came to football, in addition to having a bad reputation as a violator of human rights . On this occasion, the total figures communicated on the cost of the organization of the World Cup were approximately $220 billion , the highest cost in the history of a World Cup . The competition that took place in Brazil 2014, for example, recorded an expenditure of $15 billion.
Other Arab companies
The organization of competitions is not the only area of sport on which the Middle Eastern world has focused. Different clubs in Europe have Arab owners who have boosted the teams economically with exorbitant transfer prices and unbeatable contracts . One of these cases is Nasser Al-Khelaifi owner since 2012 of Paris Saint Germain of Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. Recently, the revival of the Transandean striker has been latent in the France team where it is rumored that the world champion’s new contract could go up to $40 million per year . The Qatari businessman is also the head of Be in sports international pay-TV channel dedicated to broadcasting sporting events.
The Manchester City is rather part of City Football Group, belonging to the sheikh Mansur bin Zayed of United Arab Emirates . This acquisition was completed in 2008 and cost approximately $292 million . This venture eventually elevated the Citizens’ team to football’s elite, which since then has reached six Premier League titles even if they have not yet managed to conquer their greatest desire: the Champions League.
Moreover, various brands from the UAE also have interesting sponsorships for the relevant teams from the old continent. For example, Fly Emirates, the airline of the mentioned country, has been the official sponsor of Arsenal for more than 10 years same, the London team’s stadium bears the brand name: Emirates Stadium a situation that also occurs with the mythical FA Cup in England, which has been renamed Emirates FA Cup . The same thing happens with the same Manchester City since its stadium bears the name Etihad Stadium Etihad also being an Arab airline brand.
Track to El Deportivo
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
