Messi and petrodollars, a new chapter in the rivalry between Qatar and Saudi Arabia

In an unusual way, Lionel Messi was in the eye of the storm in the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which compete on several levels, including investment in sports. While Saudi Arabia’s neighboring countries have mended their diplomatic ties in recent years, they have a history of cross-accusations and blockades in what is one of the world’s hottest regions.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has tried to emulate Qatar by channeling billions of its petrodollars into the sports industry, a move seen as an attempt to whitewash its image internationally (a practice known as sports laundering). In addition to buying football clubs or competing to host other competitions, on the eve of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Saudi government offered Messi a multimillion-dollar contract in exchange for him being its “tourist ambassador”, a kind of visible face of the biggest country and powerful of the Arabian Peninsula.

Messi’s trip to Saudi Arabia

Last weekend, the Argentine star returned to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, with his family and missed one of the training sessions at the club with which he has a contract until June, which paris saint germain (PSG), from Qatar. Regardless of the reasons, this did not go down well with the small emirate that has managed the French club’s ropes since it bought it in 2011. According to the French media, the punishment against the world champion was harsh: Messi will not be able to play the next two games, train with the team or receive his entire monthly salary (which exceeds 3.3 million dollars).

Although it was speculated that Messi’s days in Paris were numbered for other reasons, the sanction for his walk on Saudi soil would have been due to the high command in Doha. However, the subject that seemed a priori to be of a sporting nature also slips into the geopolitics of the Middle East, a strategic area that, however, suffers the echo of the Arab Spring and the effects of the struggle for regional hegemony and control of energy markets.

The rivalry between Doha and Riyadh

The Arabian Peninsula is the largest in the world and is located in a strategic area that links Europe, Asia and Africa. However, what makes it one of the globe’s ‘hotspots’ is the abundance of oil and gas. Since the 1970s, the massive production of these resources has allowed the countries that comprise it to accumulate extraordinary wealth (popularly known as “petrodollars”) and position themselves at the center of the global agenda by controlling the prices of what was the main source of energy.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in turn, is the largest in geographic and economic terms and it is estimated that it holds 20% of the world’s oil reserves. Qatar is the only peninsular country and its dimensions cannot be compared to its gigantic neighbor, which is also home to the mythical cities of Mecca and Medina. However, it has the third largest natural gas reserves in the world, one of the highest per capita GDPs and also played a key role on a geopolitical level in the post-revolutionary process known as the Arab Spring.

“These are two countries that are historically very interconnected. Qatar has always been somewhat in the shadow of Saudi Arabia, but in recent decades it has started to implement a certain autonomous foreign policy”, Kevin Ary Levin, sociologist and master in Middle East studies at Columbia University, explained to Perfil Argentina.

“What has divided the two countries lately has to do with the power vacuum that was generated in the region after the Arab Spring. Saudi Arabia saw it as a time of threats, the need to control damage and support more conservative forces in the region, while Qatar saw it as an opportunity to do exactly the opposite”, explained.

Doha, in turn, was accused of supporting groups that “fighted in the name of democracy or for some popular uprising”. This resulted in him breaking off diplomatic relations in 2017 with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other countries that imposed a blockade on the emirate after accusing it of serving as a platform for terrorist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or even Al Qaeda, even through the Al Jazeera agency in Qatar. “Qatar has supported forces that have tried to subvert and replace the existing order and this has generated a lot of tensions between the two countries that have found themselves in many sources of dispute on opposing sides,” explained the specialist.

Competition in the world of sport

On January 5, 2021, Riyadh announced the end of the blockade of Doha and bilateral relations were restored, its borders and embassies reopened. “Since then they have been rebuilding. By the way, it seemed symbolic to me to see the emir of Qatar supporting the Saudis in the Argentina-Saudi Arabia match. Today there are signs of rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this new context, there are reasons to renounce part of the tension, considering that a good part of the Saudi mistrust towards Qatar was due to its positive ties with Iran”, concluded Ary Levin.

The rivalry however moved to other areas including sports. Through their multibillion-dollar investments, Arab states have become major players in the world of football and other competitions over the past decade. The first to make an impact was the Qatari state through its more than 100 sports companies, including Qatar Sports Investments, led by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who in 2011 bought 70% of PSG for an amount close to 70 million dollars plus the absorption of multi-million dollar debt.

Messi & his family treated themselves to a delightful selection of international cuisine & a luxurious shopping experience in #ViaRiyadh followed by a fun-filled afternoon of games, VR experiences, & quality family time at Riyadh City Boulevard. #WelcomeMessipic.twitter.com/3O6gRQEN4h

— Ahmed Al Khateeb أحمد الخطيب (@AhmedAlKhateeb) May 2, 2023

Since then, Doha has done its best to try to become the sport’s capital, until ending the process by becoming the first Arab country to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which according to private calculations would have cost US$ 200 billion. In addition, he hired David Beckham, a symbol of international football, to be his ambassador, just as the Saudis did with Messi and something that was criticized by international human rights NGOs.

Adding to the fight between Saudi Arabia and Qatar over Lionel Messi is the dispute to host other events such as the 2027 Asian Cup, the 2030 Asian Games (Doha) and the 2034 Asian Games (Riyadh). The Saudi kingdom, in turn, is preparing to host the 2030 World Cup and in the world of football it has already taken over the English club Newcastle United in 2021.

SG defines Messi’s future after controversial trip to Saudi Arabia

*Text translated from the site Perfil Argentina.