Update 12-1-22: YahooSports reported:
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sitting next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when his team was not playing, has fueled speculation that the kingdom wants to host the 2030 World Cup. Rumors of a joint bid with Egypt and Greece are swirling.
Update 12-6-22: The U.S. court case against the Crown Prince was dismissed under the guise of sovereign immunity, something the Prince did not have at the time of the execution. The judge said his hands were tied by the Biden administration's recommendation to the court. Thugs win.
Update 12-16-22: FIFA declined the offer from Ukrainian President Zelensky to speak to the world. Saudi Arabia came to mind as a possible interloper that might prefer Ukraine silenced. Soccer may follow golf as the next sportswash for the Crown Prince.
Update 12-18-22: Trophy CEOs Jared Kushner and Elon Musk were at the final match.
Update 2-1-23: While the Crown Prince continues making inroads with FIFA:
The rate of executions carried out by Saudi Arabia has almost doubled under the rule of the de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, with the past six years being among the bloodiest in the Kingdom’s modern history.
That's not counting executions outside the country.
“After Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing, the purchase of Newcastle, the LIV Golf series and the country’s hosting of numerous high-profile sporting events, Saudi Arabia’s use of sport to try to mask its terrible human rights record is now a depressingly well-established pattern.
To think the Women's World Cup may have a Saudi imprint.
Update 2-9-23: Saudi sportswashing continues with a possible sponsorship at the Women's World Cup. U.S. forward Alex Morgan said:
“I think it’s bizarre that Fifa has looked to have a ‘Visit Saudi’ sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup when I would not even be supported and accepted in that country, so I just don’t understand it,” Morgan said. “Pretty much everyone has spoken out against that because morally, it just doesn’t make sense.
Update 5-5-23: Biden will dispatch top aide Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia for meetings this Saturday.
Update 5-6-23: The Saudi government plans to execute three tribesmen who protested against the new mega-city Neom. The three resisted forced evictions.
Update 5-10-23: Biden prepared a package deal to lure the mad Saudi Crown Prince back into the U.S. fold. Incentives for a pariah?
