RIYADH (Dispatches) – International human rights groups have slammed Saudi Arabia for sportswashing and using world’s most famous soccer players as a “means to distract from its appalling violations of human rights record.”
Dana Ahmed, a Middle East researcher for a rights organization said that Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently inked a contract worth more than 200 million euros with Riyadh’s Al-Nassr football team, should highlight gross human rights issues in Saudi Arabia.
“Sportswashing” is the phenomenon of burnishing one’s reputation through sport.
Ahmad told the rights group that Ronaldo should use his considerable public platform to draw attention to human rights issues in the country.
She said that “Ronaldo shouldn’t allow his fame and celebrity status to become a tool of Saudi sportswashing.”
“It is highly likely that the Saudi authorities will promote Ronaldo’s presence in the country as a means of distracting from the country’s appalling human rights record,” added Ahmed.
“Cristiano Ronaldo should not allow his fame and celebrity status to become a tool of Saudi’s sportswashing. He should use his time at Al-Nassr to speak out about the myriad human rights issues in the country.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, who received a lavish warm welcome on Tuesday in Riyadh, said at a limited news conference, “I want to give a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took this opportunity. I am coming here to win, play, enjoy and be part of the success of the country and the culture of the country.”
Some commentators Ronaldo is unlikely to risk his position as the world’s highest-paid footballer for speaking up on human rights violations.
Some analysts say Ronaldo’s arrival to Saudi Arabia is part of a sportswashing campaign, as CNN claimed on Sunday that the famous football player Lionel Messi will not renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain and will go to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia this summer. Also, the move comes as Saudi Arabia reportedly readies a potential joint bid to stage the 2030 World Cup.