how the country uses football to heal its image

Posted

Update

Video length: 3 mins.

FRANCEINFO

Article written by

A. Vahramian, S. Yassine, L. de Villepin – franceinfo

France Televisions

By recruiting Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, Saudi Arabia has struck a blow on the football planet. A strategy that goes beyond the framework of sport.

This is the story of a prince who offers football stars. Nearly 60,000 fans welcomed Karim Benzema to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), his new club. With sport, the goal is to change your image. No longer be the country of religious rigor, enemy of human rights, but the one in which celebrities want to live. So Saudi Arabia writes checks: 200 million euros a year for Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, unheard of. Saudi Arabia aims to recruit a dozen athletes including Frenchman Hugo Lloris, and wants to organize the 2030 World Cup in three countries, with Egypt and Greece.

Lionel Messi, tourism ambassador

Athletes are the best promoters in the country. Like Lionel Messi, tourism ambassador, Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s other card. And the projects are crazy: a futuristic city all in length and in mirror, a ski resort in the middle of the desert or even a gigantic symbolic monument. Projects to attract 100 million visitors, and make tourism a source of income.


source site-18