ISaudi Arabia has also made some investments in marketing capabilities in the recent past, not least in relation to the impact of football. The World Cup will take place in ten years, and Saudi Arabia’s first Super Cup took place this week. This means: four Saudi teams competed in Abu Dhabi. Just foreign marketing.
But what was planned as a week of celebration of Saudi football turned out to be a PR disaster. In Monday’s semi-final, Cristiano Ronaldo was thrown off the field due to violence.
The Portuguese raised his fist at the referee’s back and left. Or rather: he was trolled. “Messi! “Messi!” the spectators shouted. Maybe funny, maybe kindergarten.
At least harmless compared to the corporal punishment Abderrazaq Hamdallah endured three days later. The Moroccan had just lost the final to Al Ittihad against Al Hilal and was heading to the dressing room when a spectator upstairs shouted something at him.
Hamdallah splashed water from the bottle he was holding, the spectator pulled out a whip and hit him twice. His videos are now spreading all over the world, being watched millions of times and shared thousands of times. Even with a lot of money, the effect will be difficult to catch.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
I am a sports journalist with over 10 years of experience covering news, events and stories from around the world. I have written for several online news outlets and have also been published in print magazines. I am currently working as an author at the World Herald News, where I cover primarily sports-related stories.
