By Bradley Bernard
Chief Leader Writer
THE QATAR World Cup 2022 was far from a masterclass in Sportswashing.
Every aspect of the Gulf Nation was under the microscope in November.
But the football tournament itself was only a sideshow up until the referee blew the whistle to open proceedings.
From then on, numerous puff pieces emerged about the country’s hospitality and friendliness. All true to a great extent, perhaps, unless you were a migrant worker.
Qatar has since emerged as a frontrunner to buy up Liverpool Football Club – a potentially momentous and fearful prospect.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund – essentially an arm of the state – have charmed fans of the surging Newcastle United following their 2021 takeover. The PIF will use this opportunity to soften the view of Saudi Arabia in the British and wider public’s eyes.
The Qataris are now attempting to do the same with one of the most historic clubs in Britain. The same consortium – linked to the Qatari state, naturally – also owns Paris Saint Germain.
It should be noted that Fenway Sports Group have reportedly rubbished claims that the club is on the brink of being taken over by Qatari investors.
But Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, QIA’s CEO said this week: “Football, the clubs and the sport is becoming very commercialised in a way, especially now fans are looking into this as an experience, so they would like to and experience and entertain themselves.
“At the same time digitalisation is becoming very important for this. So, the business model of these institutions is becoming very commercialised and very investment friendly. You will not be surprised if we invest in this.
“We have not made our mind yet but this is a very commercially driven decision that we go through. And again, sports is becoming a very important theme as well, people are engaged more in a sport and digitalisation is making it more attractive to investors.”
Any purchase would, unfortunately, go some way to legitimising Qatar as a sports superpower and a player on the wider global stage.
Qatar orchestrated one of the largest Sportswashing projects in history last November. With Liverpool, they would be able to do the same on a more consistent basis.
Opinion articles featured on Redaction Report reflect the views of their author, not those of the publication as a whole. Only Editorials display the opinions of our management.
Featured Image: Eric The Fish (CC BY 2.0)
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