WADE PRETORIUS: Saudi money, golf, football and ‘sportswashing’

One of the hottest topics in sport, and easily one of the most divisive, has been the subject of “sportswashing”. Basically, it is the idea of a company or government using sport to promote or clean their reputation.          

It was the buzzword after the creation of the LIV Golf Tour, funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The source of the rebel golf league’s very deep pockets was splashed across every newspaper around the world. It made those golfers who had switched face up to some hard questions and it brought back the topic of morals and ethics in sport. Those golfers were handsomely rewarded for their hardships too. 

Two seasons in and the PGA Tour has made peace with its enemies and the future of golf is once more at peace. It shows how quickly the topic pops up before being quashed. 

Recently, I was watching a Premier League match in a pub when a fellow football fan asked: “Isn’t this Saudi money all wrong? Doesn’t it impact the game?” My initial response is that there is no right or wrong really when it comes to the funding — how many businesses around the world have ties to governments with shady or immoral pasts?  

We aren’t going to stop supporting our favourite clubs, nor are we going to only buy goods and services from companies who have been vetted and found to be 100% legal, ethical and morally upstanding.  

So what do we have left? We have Newcastle United promoted to the top table of the Premier League and now in the Champions League. And their giddy fans can only thank a good manager, Eddie Howe, and their owners for this. You guessed it, the Saudi’s are involved on Tyneside.  

Fans aren’t turning their back on the club because of their new decision-makers. The contrary is happening as fans have come flocking back to support their Magpies thanks to their newfound place in football’s hierarchy.  

The Saudi money seems to be endless, and they have already started renovating their home league with several high-profile players. And while initially it was players past their prime, it’s now starting to hit a little too close to home. Just look at the pursuit of Mohamed Salah shortly before the close of the transfer window. You’d have to think that the Egyptian maestro will be off to Al-Ittihad at the end of the season. 

Professional football has long been about the money, and had little to do with morals and ethics. Salaries and wages have gone through the roof and the term “footballers behaving badly” is pretty common. And there’s been no substantial outcry to stop players earning half a million pounds a week, as ludicrous as that sum is. But it’s been happening for a while and without much of a public reaction, and so it will continue.  

That’s how success is built in the modern game — clubs who have the most funds, buy the best and pay them the most. Trophies, corporate deals and all that sparkles simply follow. 

The Premier League is a worldwide entertainment business and the only thing that matters is the bottom line. You could draw a line in the sand and take a moral stand against the excess, against all the overspending and overpaying. But you’d only be harming yourself. There are thousands around the world ready to take your place in the masses of club followings enjoyed by the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona. 

So just like Manchester City were helpless when star forward Riyad Mahrez wanted to beef up his bottom line with a contract in the Saudi Pro league, normal fans are as helpless when it comes to any corporate entering the frame. 

Fans barely talk about the Saudi influence at Newcastle. It’s all about beating them on the pitch — just like it used to be. And some fans have lost favourite players to the lure of money in the Middle East, but those are few and far between. And those players sold off have been replaced with new favourites. 

The Premier League is simply too big a beast not to attract the best players, and the fans will ensure television rights deals continue to keep the football in the spotlight. 

So what do we have left? Isn’t this Saudi money all wrong? Doesn’t it affect the game? The source of the funds in football seems to be irrelevant when judging the current landscape. As for the impact on the game? You can argue that point with a Newcastle fan when you next bump into one.