Middle East, the new and controversial cradle of world sport: "They are breaking the market"

• Pádel The other great dream of Al-Khelaifi causes a double war: "It is not a question of money"

• Millions, stars and controversy The keys to the new Saudi Golf League

• The arrival of F1 in Saudi The millions of the oil company and the exhausting closure of the works

Between the coasts of

and

, the western and eastern ends of the

, there are almost

, oil fields, gas reserves, almost dictatorial monarchical regimes and luxury, especially

.

An artificial luxury built on the dust and sand of

,

and the

, three of the countries that accumulate the most power and money in the Middle East and on the entire planet.

The trio of nations and their great cities, from Jeddah to Dubai, from

to the

passing through

,

or

, have formed for a few months the new and controversial cradle of world sport.

The

in Qatar and the

in Riyadh and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia);

Formula

in Jeddah, Losail (Qatar) and Abu Dhabi (Emirates);

at Losail;

the origin of the new Saudi-funded golf tournament,

the new

circuit promoted by

, the fund chaired by

;

the team from

,

(Emirates), which dominates cycling today;

the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia;

the

and 2024

in Doha;

tennis

Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the first

preseason game to be played in October in Abu Dhabi...

And it's not just about the events that take place, but what is coordinated and generated from there and has a massive influence on the rest of the planet.

Funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates benefit some of the largest sports organizations in the world.

The

is the 10th largest sports empire in the world, according to

, with a value

, the first after the great properties of the United States.

The group led by the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi

, a member of the family that governs Abu Dhabi, controls

,

,

of the Spanish Second and the

of the French Ligue 2, among others.

And through its two airlines, the UAE brings its image to the center of world sport.

Etihad and Emirates sponsorships

Etihad

, based in Abu Dhabi, gives its name to the stadium and the City shirt in exchange for

a year, according to reports in the British press, and to the F1 GP of its city.

, from Dubai, owns the façade of another great field in England,

, and bears his name to the center of the

shirt , the latter paying about

annually, 10 less than what

bills him for appearing on the white of his kit.

In addition, it appears in the elastic of Milan, Lyon or Benfica, in the nets of the

, in most F1 circuits as the main commercial partner, in cycling, golf, horse riding, rugby, sailing or cricket events... And it even gives its name to the FA Cup, the great cup of English football.

in the Middle East

will arrive in Abu Dhabi in October .

It will be

, but it will be: "It is an

for the global growth of basketball. Abu Dhabi is a

with a proven track record for hosting world-class events,"

, head of the NBA in Middle East.

"Among other things, sports will be used to foster values ​​such as

," he adds, concluding that "the

."

The most expensive World Cup in history

Writing the exact figure of all the money spent by the UAE is an impossible exercise, almost as much as doing it with

, which has hosted more than 500 sporting events in the last 15 years and which this year is the great protagonist of world sport for two reasons. : the World Cup and the ownership of

, the club that

governs from Doha and that will keep Messi, Neymar and Mbappé together during

the

.

The most expensive World Cup in history could reach

, the country is leaving "500 million a week", according to its finance minister, and

more than 6,500 workers have already died, according to

Qatar follows the same formula as the Emirates for its sponsorships.

, its main airline, has appeared on the shirts of

and now it seems that it will also do so on that of PSG, the team owned by the Arab country, which has terminated the

contract with the French hotel company

.

This company is, coincidentally, in charge of the hotels for the next World Cup.

A tournament marked in red in the Qatari line of operations, which will not stop here and whose great aspiration is to organize the

.

They already tried in 2016, 2020, 2024 and 2032, while Dubai did it in 2028. They have not won any, but they will return to the fray for 2036. Before, in 2030, they will host the

.

"They are

", they have defined it from Doha.

"The World Cup will serve as a vehicle for the nation to achieve the goals set out in the Qatar National Vision 2030," they promote in their official statements.

A World Cup with eight stadiums separated by just an hour's drive and promoted by almost all the stars in the world of football.

, for example, has signed a

to be an ambassador for the tournament and the country for the next few years.

They have a much more forward-looking vision when they invest in sports.

They are forming a lot.

Maite Ventura, responsible for LaLiga in the Middle East

The

is, alongside

, the sporting arm of the Qatari state.

Created in 2004, it prepares thousands of children and adolescents from all over the world with coaches brought from the best quarries in Europe.

Through Aspire, Qatar began buying some modest European football clubs years ago, such as

from Spain or

from Belgium.

Gone are the signings of veteran footballers from other leagues, such as Raúl González or Xavi Hernández.

The model has changed and has

its audiovisual arm in

to broadcast the

in the 22 countries in which the chain has rights, the vast majority in the East and part of Africa.

Maite Ventura

, responsible for LaLiga in the Middle East, analyzes in this newspaper the increase in the number of sporting events in the area: "It is

. But in recent years that investment has been professionalized Now they have a much more forward-looking vision when they invest in sport.

, "he summarizes, and admits that" it is true that what you hear is what Qatar has spent on the World Cup, but they invest with a lot of vision and strategy. in transforming their leagues and federations".

The 'sportwashing'

From Qatar, and through QSI,

has also arrived , the circuit that has broken the normality of the

at

the largest club franchise in the Middle East.

"They are creating all the best in the world and when you have a monopoly you can do whatever you want. No matter the amount, they are going to do whatever they want. And that goes for paddle tennis and for all sports.

. There is a lot of money, but they don't throw it away. They are well advised."

In

the situation is not very different.

The country, through its

, works according to the '

' plan by which it intends to organize 45 sporting events during this decade.

Among them, a golf tournament that has gone around the world circuit, causing the abandonment of some

stars and multiplying the prizes for the winners, and the famous

, which will be played on Saudi soil until 2029 in exchange of

.

The 'sportwashing' is to clean the reputation of those countries, which have dubious human rights issues, through sport.

Toni Roca, CEO of the Sports Law Institute

Along with the World Cup, the Super Cup has been the tournament that has raised the most controversy in our country and whose officials have tried to defend the most, arguing the improvement in social freedoms in Arabia, something that the most critical voices warn of as the so-called

, in which according to

Saudi Arabia has invested more than a billion dollars in recent years.

"

is

, which have dubious human rights issues, through sport. Whiten them,"

, CEO of the

and director of

, explains to EL

, office specialized in football.

"From the legal point of view there is little to say, but there is from the moral and ethical plane," he adds.

That legal point of view is what critics of the practices of these countries have long sought.

"

. Sports, obviously, say 'I'm not going to see so much dough in my life'. If a federation asks for five million to organize a World Cup and they offer 20... It

and unfair competition ", explains Roca, now focusing on

controversy

: "The television rights and ticket prices are what they are, you can't change them much, so you only have the income from sponsorship

of state-owned companies and are not market-level sponsorships.

That's where the trap lies", denounces Roca. And, meanwhile, the sport is played in the desert of the Middle East.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

• qatar

• Saudi Arabia

• UEFA

• Dakar Rally

• Neymar

• Mbappe

• Spain Supercup

• NBA