When praising the crowd becomes common practice in Saudi Arabia

Without spectators, sporting events aren’t much fun. If indeed they are. We had the experience during Covid. The stadiums were empty. Every self-respecting event calculates the number of people who came to participate. Grand Slam tournaments record new attendance records every year. But what if no one comes? The problem has been occurring in tennis for several years. Since major events are taking place in totalitarian states like China and Saudi Arabia.

After the end of the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, a new kind of exhibition tournament outside the ATP circuit, the most lucrative event in the history of tennis, a resident of the Saudi port city of Jeddah confided how we fills stadiums in this desert state. He spoke to American investigative journalist Ben Rothenberg after the latter reported on the controversial meetings. Because the informant wanted to remain anonymous, he was referred to as Fahd in the article.

Four hours sitting, nothing more

During the Next-Gen final, which marks the end of the season for the best players under 21, and which took place for the first time in Jeddah last December, Fahd was sent an offer by a friend short-term job via WhatsApp: paid supporter. The empty stadium during the group matches, in which the Bernese Dominic Stricker also participated, earning criticism from the organizers. So, for the final between Hamad Medjedovic and Arthur Fils, they called on as many people as possible to fill part of the seats. For 100 Saudi riyals, or around 23 francs, they had nothing to do other than mark their presence for four hours.

For Fahd, who gets by with different jobs, an easy way to make money. He filled out a Google form with his personal data and confirmed that he did not have any chronic or contagious illness. On the day of the final, the extras, around 700 according to Fahd, were picked up by buses in a parking lot and taken to the stadium. In particular, they were instructed to wear closed shoes and behave in a calm and civilized manner during the match, as is expected in tennis. Those who do not comply risk loss of wages.

A supervisor ensures good conduct

The trip to the final was organized by the Saudi company “Trip P Events”. The organizers were well aware that the paid supporters knew nothing about tennis. This is why they were divided into groups of 15 to 20 people, each with a supervisor to ensure calm and order. Fahd tells the American journalist that the moment was not really fun. “We were forbidden from partying, drinking or eating, so as not to disturb the people who had paid to be there.”

Even before Hamad Medjedovic celebrated his victory, paid supporters were evacuated from the stands to prevent them from disturbing other spectators by leaving the premises. All the extras received their 100 Saudi riyals and were taken back by bus. They were thanked and encouraged to sign up for another Google listing for other assignments. They did the job well. Thanks to them and clever camera settings, the room seemed full during the finale. Which, according to Fahd, was not the case at all.

It seems the mood started to rise during the Six Kings Slam matches in Riyadh. However, the darkened stands do not allow us to know how many of the 8,000 seats were actually occupied. It is likely that the company organizing the event paid people and transported them to the stadium.

The currency of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund

Unlike usual tennis tournaments, the Six Kings Slam, financed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, does not depend on ticket revenue. It is financially very deficit. The benefit for the Saudis is quite different. They buy the most prominent tennis players and encourage them to participate in promotional activities. Even Rafael Nadalwho had just announced his resignation.

While Jannik Sinner pocketed $6 million for his win and claimed he didn’t go to Saudi Arabia for the money, Carlos Alcaraz was at least being honest. When asked about the Italian player’s statement, he said: “I love playing tennis. Most of the time I don’t think about money, I just play for the love of the sport. But you have to be realistic. There is the biggest one there prize money of history. Good motivation, at least for me.”

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