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Sport is one of the main elements of Vision 2030. They have the Joshua v Usyk fight coming up, Formula One from 2024, they are building a "sport city" called Qiddiya that is going to be a hub for all kinds of sports including a championship course to host events for the new breakaway golf tour. Newcastle is just one little piece of the whole pie.
Is this "sport washing"? It looks more like a national development plan ... it is not about their image, it is because sport and entertainment is a major global industry and they want to be a player.
Is this "sport washing"? It looks more like a national development plan ... it is not about their image, it is because sport and entertainment is a major global industry and they want to be a player.
Fucking disgraceful blatant cheating.
Do me a favour..... The amount of over-payment going on doesn't equate to 'business'.
I take your point but In effect national development is sports washings aim.
Over payment is the price of entry.
Like the golf ... there are already European and Asian tour events held in Saudi, but what the Saudis are saying is we want to own and control a tour rather than playing on your tours. To get from where they are now to where they want to be they have to pay ludicrous amounts to golfers to get them to defect.
Longer term that tour creates an industry where wealthy Asian, American and European golfers go to Saudi to stay at a fancy resort, play the championship courses etc.
Same with the football, they are not interested in buying Newcastle Town FC and building it up through the pyramid. They want to enter at the top, and to do that they have to over pay. As it develops you can be sure they are going to want control over broadcasting rights, marketing and the rest of it.
I don't think they do all this so you will like them, they don't care.
From which there is no turning back and likely no scope for significant profit.
Between the need for sports-washing legitimacy and external 'rebranding' and the inherent dick-measuring contest between the various arab / oil states; given their already near limitless wealth/resources, profit really isn't a key motivator.
Even the London Olympics was a massive PR stunt.
They don't have limitless wealth if you believe there will be a climate driven energy transition. The point of Vision 2030 is preparing the Kingdom for life after quite a sharp drop in demand for oil and gas predicted after 2030, which will mean massive over-supply and falling prices when governments have banned petrol driven cars, gas central heating etc. The 2030 in the name is not a coincidence.
It might not happen ... all the climate targets and energy transition might turn out to be impossible to deliver. That is what they are trying to get ready for though. If the change doesn't happen then they keep selling the oil and they also have all the new stuff. Happy days.
I am not saying you have to agree with what they are doing, but I think it is bigger and more strategic than "Can we get people to like us a bit more?" I wouldn't mind if the UK government was a bit more strategic to be honest.
edit ... I think it is true that sport, leisure and entertainment is the fastest growing economic sector in the world but I am not sure about that.
Their 'game' is bigger than that of course, but they need the rest of the world to "like them a bit more" so that the above plan can work.... All the more if they don't have a global oil monopoly to lean on.
We will get some data points fairly soon ... how many buy the Joshua v Usyk fight, how many golfers defect to LIV, how many broadcasters carry the Saudi Grand Prix. If those things fall flat maybe they will have to rethink. They will probably just throw more money at it though.
Just in case you don't like them enough yet, if Trump gets back in that would make a difference, I think that the golf thing mostly depends on access to the courses he owns at the moment. I expect he would give Vision 2030 a push.
It's both. It's diversification of revenue and sportswashing. They'll want their investment into my club to align with their Vision2030 plan. If we can qualify for the CL, or win a trophy in 2030, they'll be happy.
Think that’s harsh. Probably very difficult to let go of a club supported for a long time even if the new regime isn’t palatable. Also it is not like this poster is on here winding spurs fans up
There are far more harsh things at play here.
Quite clearly from my comments this as an extension of prior conversations between the two of us........ Thus with all due respect, I'm not really concerned with your 'hot take' on my comments.
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Spot on.
For what it's worth I've popped that lad on ignore. He has zero interest in nuanced conversation and it inevitably becomes a circular argument that's tedious for everyone. I don't feel special though, a brief glance at his other interactions suggests he's like this with others.
Not everyone welcomes you here....... Least of all your hollow justifications on certain matters.
Nuance? Lol.....
"I don't object to our being bought by oppressive murders because we had it so bad under Ashley (even though you won fuck all for 70 years anyway)"
Pathetic.
"I'll just support gay rights causes instead to compensate for turning a blind eye to the sports washing"
Like fuck you have.
NC gay rights group disbanded upon the Saudi arrival...... Yet no further comment/action.
Fuck off.
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Not related to their sale, but when did Eddie Howe clone himself?
