The Saudi Arabian minister of sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, stated that his government would support any private-sector offers from the kingdom for Manchester United or Liverpool.
While the Saudi Public Investment Fund supported the purchase of Newcastle United last winter, Prince Abdulaziz revealed that private enterprises in his nation have a great interest in English football’s most successful clubs, advising banks about future investment or sales.
“I cannot answer for the private sector, but there is a great deal of interest, appetite, and enthusiasm for football,” he told. “It is the most-watched league in Saudi Arabia in the area, and there are many Premier League followers.
We will certainly support it if the [Saudi] private sector becomes involved, as we are confident that this will have a great impact on sports within the country. If an investor is willing to invest and the numbers make sense, why not?”
The prince also expressed a desire for Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Saudi Arabia. The 37-year-old is a free agent after leaving United by mutual consent this week, and he previously said that a Saudi club offered him a two-year contract worth more than £300 million each year in the summer.
Prince Abdulaziz stated, “I would love to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league.” “It would assist the league, the Saudi sports ecosystem, and inspire the youth for the future.” He is a role model for many children and has a large fan base in Saudi Arabia.”
Ronaldo scored in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Ghana in Thursday’s Qatar World Cup match, and Saudi Arabia may submit a proposal to host the tournament. The prince asked, “Who wouldn’t want to host the World Cup?” Any country would be thrilled to host the World Cup.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of sport washing for deflecting criticism of its human rights record by sponsoring important sporting events, such as boxing world title bouts. However, Prince Abdulaziz argued that doing so was beneficial for the citizens of his nation.
“The facts don’t lie: boxing participation has increased from six gyms in 2018 to 57 gyms in 2019. A 300% surge in participation, of whom 60% are women, shocked us. When young men and women exhibit appetite, they have learned from it.
If it improves the country and addresses many of the social problems we face in terms of participation, then it will be beneficial for us,” he remarked.
