Dbroadcast in six episodes, “Saudi Pro League: Kickoff” was released just three weeks before the vote of the Congress of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Wednesday, which must validate the candidacy of Saudi Arabia, the sole candidate, to organize the prestigious competition.
This vote constitutes a crucial step in the strategy of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto ruler of the kingdom, who uses sport as a lever to strengthen the influence of Saudi Arabia and improve the image of this oil giant on the scene international.
Football is at the heart of this strategy and the series traces the transformation of the Saudi Pro League, thanks to the arrival of football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema, who occupy a central place in the program.
It also highlights the “historical passion” of the Saudis for football, according to a commentator, referring to clubs founded almost a century ago and rivalries almost as old.
In one scene, 17-year-old Al-Ittihad striker Talal Haji walks through Jeddah’s Old City in a thobe, the long white garment worn by Saudis, and says: “I am very proud of my future. In ten years, I will play the World Cup on our soil.”
If politics remains discreet in the series, Mohammed ben Salman appears briefly to present a trophy to the Al-Hilal club, winner of the King’s Cup against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr team.
The Portuguese superstar affirms in front of the camera that his adventure in Saudi Arabia is above all sporting: “I’m not here for the money…I’m here to win.”
But, according to Danyel Reiche, a researcher at Georgetown University in Qatar, foreign stars “are not there just for football. They are part of a broader mission to normalize Saudi Arabia’s image and transform international perceptions”.
Sportswashing
In addition to football, Riyadh has hosted high-level tennis tournaments, heavyweight boxing matches and Formula 1 races. These events have often been criticized as tools of sportswashing attention to human rights violations, such as the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 or the imprisonment of dissidents.
The crown prince dismissed the accusations, telling Fox News: “If it helps grow the Saudi economy, I will continue sportswashing.”
These criticisms are likely to persist, particularly if the Saudi candidacy for the World Cup is validated.
“The series will probably not change the minds of the most virulent critics, who view these initiatives through the prism of sportswashing. It seems more aimed at an audience curious to understand Saudi ambitions for football”, estimates Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, from the Baker Institute at Rice University in the United States.
Saudi officials did not respond to requests from AFP regarding the series.
According to the Saudi Pro League, the story itself was created by Netflix, which therefore retained full editorial control over the documentary, which also highlights the challenges facing the second biggest spending league, after the Premier League, in the summer of 2023, must face.
“The arrival of foreign players has positive and negative impacts”, recognizes Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Saudi winger of Al-Nassr, who lost playing time.
Despite the images of fans waving flags in the stadiums, attendance remains limited: the average for the 2023-2024 season is 8,158 spectators, compared to 9,701 the previous year, according to the reference site Transfer market.
And, despite the presence of stars, international media interest, particularly in Europe, seems to have fizzled.
Some stars also struggle to adapt to local conditions, marked by intense heat part of the year, which requires matches late in the evening.
Jordan Henderson left Al-Ettifaq for Ajax Amsterdam after just six months, and Neymar, injured in his knee, was sidelined for almost a year, before making his return at the end of October.
These absences nevertheless allowed local players to shine. “My goal is that any Saudi player can outperform a foreign star”, proclaims Feras al-Brikan, Al-Ahli striker.
For many, this transformation of Saudi football remains a long-term project. “In football, what matters is not how it starts, but how it ends”, recalls Jorge Jesus, coach of Al-Hilal.
