DAILY TRIFECTA + 1: It's Saudi Arabia's World And We're Stuck Living In It
MBS's geopolitical harem is growing
TITLE: Over a Hundred Footballers Urge FIFA to Terminate Sponsorship Deal with Saudi Oil Giant Aramco
https://www.footboom1.com/en/news/football/1970229-over-a-hundred-footballers-urge-fifa-to-terminate-sponsorship-deal-with-saudi-oil-giant-aramco
EXCERPT: A group of 106 professional footballers from 24 countries has sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, urging him to terminate the sponsorship agreement with Aramco, the state-owned oil company of Saudi Arabia, citing the country’s systematic violation of women’s rights and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
In the letter, obtained by EFE, the signatories argue that a company like Aramco, owned by a regime that "criminalizes LGBTQ+ individuals and systematically oppresses women," should not have the right to sponsor the world’s most popular sport.
Among the players is the United States’ Becky Sauerbrunn, former captain of her national team with 217 international caps, and Afghan player Khalida Popal, who has previously worn the armband for her country, which has aggressively pursued women's rights since the Taliban took power.
The list includes only one Spanish footballer, midfielder Maitane López, who plays for NY Gotham in the United States. The sole representative from Liga F is Finnish forward Sanni Franssi of Real Sociedad.
Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, signed an agreement with FIFA on April 25, becoming the "exclusive global partner in the energy category" for the governing body of world football competitions. This deal allows the energy company to sponsor the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, as well as the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
For the signatory players, the prospect of Aramco sponsoring the upcoming World Cup "would be a gut punch for women's football, undermining decades of work by fans and players around the world."
"This sponsorship is far worse than an own goal for football: FIFA might as well douse the pitch in oil and set it on fire... Our work as professional players has been a dream for us, and it is a dream for the girls who will be the players of the future. We deserve much better from our governing body than its alliance with this nightmare of a sponsor," the letter states.
TITLE: Nadal on Saudi Partnership: Sportswashing Exists But Tennis Can Promote Progress
https://www.tennisnow.com/News/2024/October/Nadal-on-Saudi-Partnership-Sportswashing-Exists-B.aspx
EXCERPTS: Last January, Nadal was named new ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation sparking criticism from some who slammed it as a "sell out" by tennis' ultimate sportsman.
The WTA signed a three-year multi-million dollar deal with the Saudi Tennis Federation to host the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 2024 season-ending WTA Finals will be staged in Riyadh November 2-9, featuring the Top 8 singles players and doubles teams in the Race to the WTA Finals.
The move to Riyadh is a lucrative and controversial one.
It means two-season ending tournaments—the WTA Finals and NextGen ATP Finals staged in Jeddah—will be staged on Saudi soil this fall.
Skeptics charge tennis is flirting with a fault line taking money from Saudi Arabia given the Kingdom’s record on human rights violations and the fact same sex activity for both men and women is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
Why would tennis, a sport that prides itself on equality and integrity, sell out foundational values to partner with a regime that represses women and criminalizes same-sex relationships, critics ask?
The two-time Olympic gold-medal champion told AS.com while his partnership with Saudi Arabia is certainly profitable, he believes tennis players can “help the country” and promote progress through their presence in the Kingdom.
Echoing Billie Jean King’s famed mantra “you have to see it, to be it,” Nadal argues when Saudi citizens watch tennis they “see another world, other cultures and they have the ability to really move forward.”
"I don't think Saudi Arabia needs me to clean up its image," Nadal told Ana Pastor on Spanish television's El Objetivo earlier this year. “It is a country that has opened up to the world, a country with great potential.
TITLE: Trump: Saudi crown prince ‘a great guy’
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4944661-trump-saudi-crown-prince-mbs/
EXCERPT: Former President Trump says the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who faces unrelenting criticism over his government’s human rights record, is a “great guy.”
“I think it’s fine right now,” Trump said of the U.S.-Saudi relationship in a recent interview with Al Arabiya. “When I was president, it was great with capital letters. G-R-E-A-T, great.”
“And so much respect for the King, so much respect for Mohammed, who is doing great. I mean, he’s really a visionary. He’s done things that nobody else would have even thought about,” he continued.
In the interview with Al Arabiya’s Washington Bureau Chief Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, Trump later added that the crown prince is a “great guy” who is “respected all over the world.”
Earlier this year, the Trump Organization announced it would be building a Trump Tower building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The building is the Trump Organization’s first development in the country and is in partnership with a Saudi-owned developer.
The development may resurface concerns about Trump’s conflicts of interest if he is reelected in November.
TITLE: Trump Interview to Air on Saudi-Owned Channel as Business Ties Grow
https://globelynews.com/americas/trump-al-arabiya-saudi-arabia-interview/
EXCERPT: Al Arabiya English is a newly launched news channel by the MBC Group, which also operates the pan-Arab outlet Al Arabiya, a competitor to the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera.
The majority shareholder of the MBC Group is Al Istedamah Holding Company, a Saudi government-owned company.
In a recent financial statement, the MBC Group describes itself as a “strategic partner” of the Saudi Arabian government in its efforts to fulfill the “Vision 2030” transformation program of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS. The filing notes that MBC Group receives Saudi Arabian government funding to expand its reach to viewers outside the country.
The interview with Trump does not appear to be hard-hitting. In an excerpt published on social media, Al Arabiya’s Washington correspondent Nadia Bilbasy tells Trump, “some people think you [are] the only person who can stop this war, because Prime Minister Netanyahu only listens to you.” Trump responded by repeating claims he’s made throughout the campaign: that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza would never have started had he been president.
Frequent guests on Al Arabiya English include former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Amb. John Bolton, a noted hawk on Iran.
While Al Arabiya English does not have substantial viewership in the U.S., even among Arab American voters, the new channel is part of MBS’s broader efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a media and entertainment powerhouse — a goal driven by both economic and political motivations. Trump’s appearance on the channel may not win him votes in the U.S., but it is likely to be viewed favorably by the crown prince, with whom the broader Trump family member has growing business ties.
Affinity Partners, the firm of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. Though it generates no profit, it has received at least $112 million in fees since 2021, according to The New York Times.
Former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump stand alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a 2017 visit to Saudi Arabia. Since leaving the White House, Kushner has received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, further highlighting the growing financial ties between the Trump family and the kingdom. (Image Credit: Trump White House)
The Trump Organization is expanding its real estate portfolio in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. In July, it signed an agreement with developer Dar Global to build a luxury high-rise in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The two companies are also constructing the $4 billion Trump International Hotel in Muscat, Oman — a project that, a New York Times investigation reveals, “puts Mr. Trump in business with the government of Oman.”
Trump too has his own fledgling media ambitions. The stock of his company, Trump Media, which owns the social media platform, Truth Social, has seen significant volatility since its launch this year. There is speculation over potential foreign investment in the loss-making company.
The former president has blurred the line between his expanding business ventures and political campaigning, launching a cryptocurrency platform, World Liberty Financial, last month. The Al Arabiya English interview further blurs the distinction between Trump’s business and politics.
SEE ALSO:
Saudi prince’s superyacht once owned by Trump and featured in Bond movie severely damaged after crashing into dock
https://nypost.com/2024/10/14/world-news/saudi-princes-superyacht-once-owned-by-trump-crashes-in-dock/
We need to talk about Jared Kushner's sketchy Saudi-backed fund
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/jared-kushner-private-equity-firm-affinity-senate-investigation-rcna172758