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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ruth Michaelson

Revealed: Saudi Arabia’s $6bn spend on ‘sportswashing’

Left and right, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema now play for Saudi football teams; centre, the country is now the arguably the most influential force in golf.
Left and right, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema now play for Saudi football teams; centre, the country is now the arguably the most influential force in golf. Composite: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images/Charles Knight/Shutterstock/Reuters

Saudi Arabia has spent at least $6.3bn (£4.9bn) in sports deals since early 2021, more than quadruple the previous amount spent over a six-year period, in what critics have labelled an effort to distract from its human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has deployed billions from its Public Investment Fund over the last two-and-a-half years according to analysis by the Guardian, spending on sports at a scale that has completely changed professional golf and transformed the international transfer market for football.

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