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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN staff writer
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Crown Prince, said in an interview with Fox News Who broadcast on Wednesday that he does not care about the allegations of sports whitewashing made against his country.
“If it is a sports wash [is] Going to increase my GDP [gross domestic product] “At 1%, I’ll keep doing the gym wash. I don’t care,” he said, according to Foxnews.com.
Through the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia has become increasingly aggressive in its involvement in global sports in recent years, highlighted in the United States by the creation of LIV Golf, which recruited prominent players from the PGA Tour, eventually leading to a federation. Between the two.
Critics say these types of investments are aimed at washing Saudi Arabia’s image in front of the rest of the world. However, Bin Salman confirms that this is not the case.
“GDP growth of 1% from sports, I’m aiming for another 1.5% – call it what you want, we’ll get 1.5%,” he said. .
This summer, Saudi Professional Football League teams, with the help of the Public Investment Fund, spent nearly $1 billion to sign several European-based stars, including Brazilian striker Neymar. Cristiano Ronaldo joined the league in January. League matches are broadcast in the United States by Fox Sports.
