Barcelona have warned fans that they should be “prudent and discreet” if they travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup this week in an unprecedented briefing that also insists supporters “strictly respect the country’s customs and ways”.
The decision by the Spanish champions to post a lengthy series of recommendations “for foreigners in Saudi Arabia” has been criticised by Human Rights Watch as being both insufficient to protect supporters and indicative of the lack of a “human rights framework” for operating in Saudi, the sole bidder to host the Fifa men’s World Cup in 2034.
