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Saudis pitch for Bundesliga

What is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia up to, asks the Financial Times?

The Pink 'Un revealed this week that representatives of the Saudi state approached Germany’s Bundesliga about acquiring the football league’s media rights across the Middle East. 

The Gulf kingdom has spent big to bring heavyweight boxing, motor-racing events and top European football club matches to the country. The Public Investment Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, is leading a £300m takeover of Newcastle United (a deal that awaits approval by the English Premier League).

Why are football broadcast rights next on the agenda?

Prince Mohammed is following a playbook written by Gulf neighbours Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. They were first to invest heavily in sports, in an effort to diversify their economies away from a reliance on petrochemicals and project soft power around the world.

Saudi efforts to break into sport also stem from a regional rivalry, particularly since 2017, after Riyadh and three Arab allies cut diplomatic and transport links to Qatar.

One target is beiInSports, a Qatari broadcaster owned by Nasser al-Khalhafi, who is also president of France’s Paris Saint-Germain and sits on the powerful executive committee of Uefa, European football’s governing body.


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