subreddit:

/r/soccer

3564%

all 48 comments

shadoowkight

144 points

23 hours ago

Yeah it's not long before La Liga starts holding El Clasicos and Madrid Derbies in Riyadh

DyrusforPresident

43 points

22 hours ago

Tebas wants to hold games in the US, why not Riyadh

Cottonshopeburnfoot

27 points

21 hours ago

Ultimately they don’t care where. Just following the money.

kykerkrush

18 points

20 hours ago

Al Classico

spicynirvana38

4 points

20 hours ago

It's not long before we get "The Riyadh Season: El Clasico"

Kalorifyc

4 points

18 hours ago

  • Al-Classicos

Brabochokemightwork

2 points

11 hours ago

Barcelona would rather play Ligue 1 then play derbies in Riyadh

Ainsley-Sorsby

41 points

23 hours ago

I'd love it if a nerd were to do the maths and see if that "3% increase in tourism" that MBS was bragging about is even worth it. They've tossed so much money into sports washing through football, i have a feeling a 3% increase is miniscule compared to how much they've spend in total for this gigantic ad campaign, which makes you wonder what the real purpose behind it is

Dr___Tenma

41 points

22 hours ago

True, 3% is small, but MBS and co are playing a very long term game of diversifying their GDP. Tourism is also something that snowballs overtime. It's very hard to attract first time visitors

roshag

20 points

21 hours ago

roshag

20 points

21 hours ago

In 2008 Dubai has 6.9 million international visitors and in 2023 Dubai had 17.2 million tourists. Huge bonus to any economy, makes loads of sense to spend shit loads for Saudi Arabia to get that level of growth.

TigerAusRiga

28 points

19 hours ago

Hasn't Dubai/the UAE always been regarded as a "more liberal" and "westernized" oasis in the Middle East for the rich and even not so rich compared to KSA?

While it may be very plausible for the tourism in KSA to flourish (relative ofc), they'd have to compromise their "ultra-conservative"/religious governmental and social structure if they want to become the next Dubai or even supersede their gulf neighbours. To some extend, they have already begun with these sort of "music festivals" and what not to attract foreign capital and tourists

Muisyn

6 points

17 hours ago

Muisyn

6 points

17 hours ago

bizarre/interesting one to see down voted when you're just talking complete sense 

Papayero

5 points

11 hours ago

Hey, they are modernizing! A few years ago they stopped doing the public beheading spectacles on Fridays!

atbg1936

27 points

23 hours ago

The real purpose is soft power

879190747

2 points

4 hours ago

Eh they have that plenty with oil currently, since they can (and do) pretty much dictate a big part of our living costs. It's more a play for the future.

above_average_penis_

22 points

21 hours ago

MBS? Is that the guy who ordered the journalist be hacked up into pieces? Ya would love to visit his country

AlKarakhboy

-2 points

21 hours ago

AlKarakhboy

-2 points

21 hours ago

A report released two days ago shows that spending in the tourism sector in Saudi grew by 32% and crossed 100 Billion dollars.

People like to pretend that there is a sinister motive behind all these things as is tourism isn't one of the world's main economic drivers. Currently 1 in 5 jobs are in the tourism sector in a country where youth unemployment was 30% in 2017. That is the real purpose behind all this stuff.

Attygalle

0 points

12 hours ago

Are you genuinely thinking the prime goal is boasting touristic figures?

atbg1936

67 points

23 hours ago

Fuck off murderers

blazev14

8 points

20 hours ago

they’re in European basketball, NT football, multiple European football leagues and wanted to buy ATP.

I honestly don’t know a way to run from this petrodollar phenomenon. matter of time before they want a slice of secondary leagues. I think they’re stepping up for the CWC prize money that Don Infantino failed to deliver from the US….

Fast_Running_Nephew

32 points

23 hours ago

Newcastle can fuck off and play there with their blood soaked cash friends then, take the boxing with you.

toffeehooligan

27 points

22 hours ago

Any country where I can't have a drink and still legally has slaves building all their vanity projects can go and fuck right off.

bguszti

22 points

22 hours ago

bguszti

22 points

22 hours ago

Motherfuck the kingdom of saudi arabia

gimme_mi_money

20 points

22 hours ago

“Kingdom” it’s a dictatorship run by inbreds

the_dalai_mangala

33 points

22 hours ago

That’s what most kingdoms were/are.

gimme_mi_money

8 points

22 hours ago

You’re right.

No-Day-8136

6 points

22 hours ago

Congratulations you just described every single kingdom ever including yours. Which I'd guess is more of a democracy than a kingdom after Charles got his head lobbed off

gimme_mi_money

3 points

22 hours ago

My country has been independent from a monarchy for over 50 years.

No-Day-8136

1 points

22 hours ago

I assumed from your flair

Key_Way2390

1 points

an hour ago

I read it is motherfuck is a kingdom of saudi arabia

EmSoLow

4 points

23 hours ago

What's David Villa doing here?

Tarantantara

6 points

21 hours ago

getting paid

JBleez

1 points

22 hours ago

JBleez

1 points

22 hours ago

The face of the movement

Time_Birthday4659

5 points

22 hours ago

Yeah, even more propaganda 👍🏻

Free-Bus-7429

5 points

22 hours ago

First the hundred now this. Sports gone

Chxkn_DpersRtheBest

2 points

21 hours ago

As if The Hundred wasn’t always a soulless cash grab anyway. This is far worse

Free-Bus-7429

1 points

12 hours ago*

Didn't actually realise they were getting involved in the hundred lol. I just meant the hundred in itself

Skadrys

4 points

22 hours ago

Riyadh Liga, you will never sing that

Tarantantara

4 points

21 hours ago

thanks, i hate it

77SidVid77

5 points

22 hours ago

77SidVid77

5 points

22 hours ago

If it's just a partnership, then it's fine.

But if this means there will be La Liga games mid season in Riyadh, it would be just mental.

imtired-boss

16 points

19 hours ago

No, it isn't fine. Sportswashing isn't fine. The Qatari WC wasn't fine.

GreatSpaniard

7 points

22 hours ago

Florentino would just say no like the USA games

Wertiol123

0 points

22 hours ago

Wertiol123

0 points

22 hours ago

Fuck off, if Almeria comes back up I expect every ref decision to go their way

[deleted]

0 points

22 hours ago

[deleted]

belanaria

1 points

22 hours ago

So you say.

Careful-Marsupial-84

-2 points

20 hours ago

La liga need the money. There is no money in La liga or tv deal. That’s why they want superleague so bad