Welcome to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Ray Parlour > Welcome to Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo!

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Loving Africa Chaps: Dec 3, 2007; We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

https://twitter.com/JHenderson/status/1698100348802433421?s=20

This spells out pretty clearly that the money isn't just for playing football, you have to become a cheerleader for the country.

https://twitter.com/Taher_Etti/status/1698106514173493476?s=20

also you think for all that money they could buy some fans

# ? Sep 3, 2023 17:31

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 14:41

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

Yeah the whole thing is a sportswashing effort so some reputation laundering does need to take place for the money they're spending

# ? Sep 3, 2023 17:33

Digital Jedi: May 28, 2007; Fallen Rib

There was a NY Times article by Karim Zidan about Messi's contract with KSA.

quote:

Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabia and the Deal That Paid Off for Both Sides

The terms outlined in the document are consistent with the way Messi has used his social media accounts to promote the kingdom, and also with the promotional visits he has made to the country.

The contract is specific about Messi�s obligations, and about the money to be paid for fulfilling each one:

About $2 million, nearly 1.8 million euros, for a minimum of one family vacation annually lasting five days, or alternately two annual vacations of three days each. The travel expenses and five-star accommodations were to be paid by the Saudi government for Messi and up to 20 family members and friends.

Another $2 million for promoting Saudi Arabia on his social media accounts 10 times a year, separately from the promotion of his vacations to the kingdom.

About $2 million more to participate in an annual tourism campaign. (He and the Saudi authority shared the first campaign, an elaborately shot desert video, in November.)

Another $2 million for charitable work and appearances.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 17:48

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

https://twitter.com/Taher_Etti/status/1698106514173493476?s=20

lmao it's worse than MLS

# ? Sep 3, 2023 18:22

the sex ghost: Sep 6, 2009

5 yard sideways passes in your own half set to music from the matrix ftw

# ? Sep 3, 2023 18:54

Edward Mass: Sep 14, 2011; 𝅘𝅥𝅮 I wanna go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
Friendliest people and the prettiest women you've ever seen𝅘𝅥𝅮

I�m trying to think of a joke involving a technical director and Osama bin Laden, and can�t get it past the finish line.

# ? Sep 3, 2023 19:21

Boris Galerkin: Dec 17, 2011; I don't understand why I can't harass people online. Seriously, somebody please explain why I shouldn't be allowed to stalk others on social media!

Digital Jedi posted:

There was a NY Times article by Karim Zidan about Messi's contract with KSA.

Meanwhile MBS literally just had a guy executed for the crime of tweeting the wrong things.

Hope the money those assholes certainly didn�t need is worth it.

Boris Galerkin fucked around with this message at 12:12 on Sep 4, 2023

# ? Sep 4, 2023 12:09

harperdc: Jul 24, 2007

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

https://twitter.com/JHenderson/status/1698100348802433421?s=20

This spells out pretty clearly that the money isn't just for playing football, you have to become a cheerleader for the country.

�a player goes to a foreign country, plays a match, does well*, and sends a tweet in that country�s language? That by itself I don�t see as any kind of problem. If Henderson had joined Urawa Reds and started adding Japanese on his social media would that be a problem?

I�m not giving any excuse for the wider context, but the simple act of �tweeting not in English about the lads doing well� doesn�t seem like an egregious crime in and of itself.

*playing two simple passes like he�s on the park with the boys

That said. We need some Liverpool fans still on Twitter to go slag off the quality of the Saudi league. I have it on good accord they love it when people speak down about the (poo poo) quality of Saudi football. Free laughs for anyone with a burner account.

# ? Sep 5, 2023 03:12

hadji murad: Apr 18, 2006

Japan isn�t trying to sports wash it�s human rights abuses through football, it�s trying to stimulate the economy by having fans buy 20,000� jerseys on a yearly basis.

# ? Sep 5, 2023 04:22

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

harperdc posted:

�a player goes to a foreign country, plays a match, does well*, and sends a tweet in that country�s language? That by itself I don�t see as any kind of problem. If Henderson had joined Urawa Reds and started adding Japanese on his social media would that be a problem?

I�m not giving any excuse for the wider context, but the simple act of �tweeting not in English about the lads doing well� doesn�t seem like an egregious crime in and of itself.

*playing two simple passes like he�s on the park with the boys

That said. We need some Liverpool fans still on Twitter to go slag off the quality of the Saudi league. I have it on good accord they love it when people speak down about the (poo poo) quality of Saudi football. Free laughs for anyone with a burner account.

The (Google) translation of the Arabic part is

quote:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the hospitality of the hosts, the enthusiasm of the fans, the exciting league and the irreplaceable sense of victory.

Next is better

Which sounds like something the tourism board would send you over to be pasted into your posts

# ? Sep 5, 2023 09:35

Shrapnig: Jan 21, 2005

Thanks Ants posted:

The (Google) translation of the Arabic part is

Which sounds like something the tourism board would send you over to be pasted into your posts

�700k/wk to copy-paste tweets? Sounds like a deal

# ? Sep 5, 2023 10:10

harperdc: Jul 24, 2007

Thanks Ants posted:

The (Google) translation of the Arabic part is

Which sounds like something the tourism board would send you over to be pasted into your posts

Fair. And I doubt Henderson is handling his own social media anyways.

# ? Sep 5, 2023 12:14

the sex ghost: Sep 6, 2009

I feel like I would have sought to get those guarantees before I let all my players leave but w/e I'm not a director of football

# ? Sep 6, 2023 21:25

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

personally I would have asked to receive the money in advance

# ? Sep 6, 2023 21:29

Slotducks: Oct 16, 2008; Nobody puts Phil in a corner.

Imagine falling for the ol classic: "The cheque is in the mail" line

# ? Sep 6, 2023 21:32

Loving Africa Chaps: Dec 3, 2007; We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

the sex ghost posted:

I feel like I would have sought to get those guarantees before I let all my players leave but w/e I'm not a director of football

Lol, having seen how Arab nations deal with medical debt those clubs have just realised they've made a big mistake. There's zero reasons the PIF couldn't have paid them up front.

# ? Sep 6, 2023 21:42

sticksy: May 26, 2004; Nap Ghost

Is the burrofax equivalent there a camelfax?

# ? Sep 6, 2023 22:02

Eau de MacGowan: May 12, 2009; BRASIL HEXA
2026 tá logo aí

bored sheikh nfts for everyone

# ? Sep 6, 2023 23:47

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

Eau de MacGowan posted:

bored sheikh nfts for everyone

lol

# ? Sep 7, 2023 10:07

hadji murad: Apr 18, 2006

Speaking of NFTs looks like leader legend John Terry might be heading there

# ? Sep 7, 2023 10:13

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

Don't talk about heads and Saudi

# ? Sep 7, 2023 10:14

theghostpt: Sep 1, 2009

https://reddit.com/r/soccer/s/kwaZtrga9K

Just casually coming against what human rights orgs say :discourse:

# ? Sep 7, 2023 14:51

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

theghostpt posted:

https://reddit.com/r/soccer/s/kwaZtrga9K

Just casually coming against what human rights orgs say

the Google Translate version of that article says these are his comments:

quote:

Finally, Carrasco was also confronted with Saudi Arabia's bad human rights record.

"I do not support what the human rights organizations say," it sounded resolutely and carelessly. "Don't Ronaldo also have a normal life there with his wife? I've been there myself and saw how people walked around - it's a beautiful country, to be honest."

"You know, it's hard to judge things like that when you only listen to what other people say. You have to experience it yourself and for me there's nothing special."

uh yeah no poo poo dude they aren't going to arrest Cristiano Ronaldo's wife and as a rich and famous celebrity recruited to sportswash the country they treat me well, therefore there are no human rights abuses in the country

# ? Sep 7, 2023 15:18

the sex ghost: Sep 6, 2009

Reminds me of beckenbauer coming back from Qatar saying 'i didn't see any slave workers' as though they're going to bring them out to shake his hand

# ? Sep 7, 2023 15:23

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

He wasn't allowed to rip walls open or pull up the foundations so of course he never saw them

# ? Sep 7, 2023 16:32

cagliostr0: Jun 8, 2020

Thanks Ants posted:

He wasn't allowed to rip walls open or pull up the foundations so of course he never saw them

His hands were full of expensive watches so he wasn't able to

# ? Sep 7, 2023 23:28

Boris Galerkin: Dec 17, 2011; I don't understand why I can't harass people online. Seriously, somebody please explain why I shouldn't be allowed to stalk others on social media!

That�s a big yikes and the full context of that answer makes the short quote sound better by virtue of the context being terribad.

I have food and shelter therefore homelessness and world hunger do not exist.

# ? Sep 7, 2023 23:39

Loving Africa Chaps: Dec 3, 2007; We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.

https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1705282302152945850?t=abFAzwYinUBgayXHK4z8ug&s=19

Lmao. Stadium is, at most, 1/3 full and they had to blind the opposition goal keeper with smoke grenades

# ? Sep 22, 2023 21:30

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

Ahahah, how does that not stop a game

# ? Sep 22, 2023 21:31

Vegetable: Oct 22, 2010

Seems dangerous but looks kinda cool tbh

# ? Sep 22, 2023 21:38

the sex ghost: Sep 6, 2009

Ref there looking at the cloud of Saudi colored poo gas and deciding he values the use of his limbs and head. Smart

# ? Sep 22, 2023 22:12

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

lmao

# ? Sep 22, 2023 22:15

sticksy: May 26, 2004; Nap Ghost

I see they finally found Saddam�s WMDs

# ? Sep 22, 2023 22:53

McFlurry Fan #1: Dec 31, 2005; He can't kill me. I'm indestructible. Everybody knows that

Loving Africa Chaps posted:

https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1705282302152945850?t=abFAzwYinUBgayXHK4z8ug&s=19

Lmao. Stadium is, at most, 1/3 full and they had to blind the opposition goal keeper with smoke grenades

What an absolute bin league

# ? Sep 23, 2023 08:13

Thanks Ants: May 21, 2004; #essereFerrari

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria score-i.

# ? Sep 23, 2023 08:26

hadji murad: Apr 18, 2006

Reported that J Lingz is having a trial with a Saudi side. Not sure if it�s for fashion crimes or a chance to play football but I hope he makes it back to England in one piece.

# ? Sep 23, 2023 13:34

nawilo_420: Nov 24, 2021; Can't post for 11 days!

hadji murad posted:

Reported that J Lingz is having a trial with a Saudi side. Not sure if it�s for fashion crimes or a chance to play football but I hope he makes it back to England in one piece.

Interesting, I thought saudi normally doesn't do trials

# ? Sep 23, 2023 13:53