Saudi Arabia will “definitely support” private sector bids to buy Manchester United and Liverpool
- Day Rowan
- Sports reporter from Doha
Saudi Arabia’s sports minister has praised Qatar’s “amazing” organization of the World Cup
Saudi Arabia’s sports minister said his country’s government would “definitely support” bids by the Saudi private sector to buy Manchester United and Liverpool.
And the owners of two clubs that play in the English Premier League are looking for information about possible offers for the sale of the two clubs.
It is important to note that Newcastle United is already owned by the Saudis, following the completion of the acquisition, with the support of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, in October 2021.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said there was a lot of “interest and desire” to buy Manchester United and Liverpool.
“I can’t speak for the private sector, but there is a lot of interest and desire, there is a lot of passion for football,” he told the BBC.
He added: “It is the most watched league in Saudi Arabia and the region, and you have a lot of fans of the English Premier League.”
He continued: “We will certainly provide support in case any private sector comes in, because we know it will have a positive impact on sport in the Kingdom.”
He added: “But if there’s an investor willing to do it and the numbers are going up, why not?”
In just over 12 months since his acquisition, Newcastle are third in the Premier League table and unbeaten in all competitions since August 31.
The Magpies have spent more than £200m on players since signing, smashing their record transfer fee by signing Swedish striker Alexander Isak this summer.
Prince Abdulaziz added: “They have done a great job. They still have a long way to go, they have brought the right people into the team.”
image copyright GettyImages
Manchester United’s owners are looking for “strategic opportunities” for the club, which could include selling it.
And he added, “I’m sure they have goals to win the league, the Champions League and so on, because they strive for the best and always give the best, so I think Newcastle will have a bright future. “
It’s moving Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia?
Prince Abdulaziz also said he would “love” to see Cristiano Ronaldo at a Saudi club following his departure from Manchester United.
The Portuguese striker left Old Trafford with immediate effect on Tuesday following a controversial interview in which the 37-year-old striker criticized United and said he had “no respect” for manager Erik ten Hague.
image copyright So the media
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups
In an interview with Talk TV, Ronaldo also said he turned down a £305million deal to join the Saudi club this summer, a move that would have made him the world’s highest-paid footballer.
And the Spanish newspaper Marca announced that Al-Hilal offered him a two-year contract.
“Everything is possible,” said Prince Abdulaziz, “I would like to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league.”
He continued: “This league will benefit the sports economy in Saudi Arabia and inspire young people in the future. It is a role model for many children and has a large fan base in Saudi Arabia.”
Ronaldo is currently playing in what will likely be his last World Cup, a tournament that Prince Abdulaziz wants to organize in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom is vying to host the Asian Women’s and Men’s Cups in 2026 and 2027 respectively, and if the two Saudi bids are successful, he believes they will “certainly” increase Saudi Arabia’s chances of bidding to host the World Cup.
“Why not? Who wouldn’t want to host the World Cup? We host many events in the region,” said Prince Abdulaziz.
“Every country in the world would love to host the World Cup. It’s a great tournament and it’s good for every country to host such an event. We need to upgrade some of our sites. We have many stadiums that meet the requirements we need, but hosting such an event is not just about stadiums ,” he added. It’s about infrastructure, people, everyone’s preparation for this kind of event.”
He also mentioned the need to “make sure that when you are ready to host this competition, the whole nation will get behind it”.
We will always be criticized
Host to major sporting events, including Formula 1 races, world boxing matches and golf tournaments, Saudi Arabia has been accused of sports laundering, the use of sports to improve the country’s reputation and create a positive image.
Like Qatar, which currently hosts the soccer World Cup, activists say the Saudi government uses sport as soft power to cover up long-standing problems, including abuses of women’s rights, the treatment of LGBTQ people and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Prince Abdulaziz said: “We were criticized in Saudi Arabia before we hosted such events, we were criticized for not hosting these events, and now they are criticizing us for hosting them.”
“We look at the facts – the numbers don’t lie – when you look at the participation in boxing from 6 halls in 2018 to 57 halls today. Participation has increased by 300 percent, 60 percent women, which was a shock for us,” Prince Abdulaziz continued. “.
“When you see the appetite of young people, men and women, they learn from it. So at the end of the day, if it makes the country better and solves a lot of the social problems we have in terms of participation, then that’s a benefit for us and that’s what we’re looking at ,” he continued.
“I think we will always be criticized, but we have to look at what is best for our country and our people and what really develops our youth towards the future,” he added.
Speaking in Doha after Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina, the prince defended the belated decision by World Cup organizers to ban alcohol from stadiums.
He also said that Qatar had done an “amazing” job in organizing the event.
The two countries restored diplomatic relations last year after a three-year dispute, and the prince said he hoped the tournament could “show people’s desire to work together”.
