logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
24m 7s

BBC OS Conversations: Football in Saudi-...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

A new season of the Saudi Pro League is underway, now featuring some of the biggest names in football. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante, among many others, have all signed-up to play in the country. It has shaken up the transfer window but it is not without its controversy. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who signed for a Saudi club for example, was a vocal advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. But in Saudi Arabia, sexual activity with people of the same sex is illegal and can be punishable by death. Henderson’s rainbow armbands have been edited to grey in recent promotional videos. Host James Reynolds hears from three international football fans, Cassie, Alex and Evan.

Up next
Yesterday
Stemming the tide in Normandy
<p>Coastal erosion has become a serious problem for many seaside communities, no more so than in Normandy, in north-west France, where rising sea levels, strong tides and stronger storms have swept away homes, sand dunes and beaches. </p><p>Every year the sea here is reclaiming s ... Show More
26m 40s
Nov 24
The Shiralee: D'Arcy Niland's 1955 Australian western
<p>The Shiralee is a 1955 novel by D'Arcy Niland, telling the story of a wandering swagman on a journey through the Australian outback, accompanied by his 10-year-old daughter. It was made into a 1957 film by Ealing Studios, starring Peter Finch, and now it is being brought to th ... Show More
24m 34s
Nov 22
Inside India's war on Maoists
<p>For nearly 60 years, the Indian government has been fighting a violent group of Maoists in the country. They are followers of the late Chinese leader, Mao Zedong and have carried out bombings and killings in different parts of India. Now, the Indian authorities claim to be on ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Henderson completes controversial move to Saudi Arabia
Jim White and Alex Crook react to Jordan Henderson completing his transfer to Saudi Arabia and question whether the former Liverpool captain should have explained why he is moving to a country where being gay is illegal, having previously been such a vocal supporter of the LGBT c ... Show More
25m 15s
Dec 2022
World Cup: LGBT+ Qataris feel ‘removed’ from the conversation
The World Cup in Qatar put the country’s record on human rights and laws on homosexuality into the international spotlight. Same sex-relations are banned under Islamic law. Qatari law calls for a prison sentence of one to three years for "inducing or seducing a male or a female i ... Show More
13m 9s
Jun 2023
Ronaldo, Benzema... Pourquoi l'Arabie Saoudite investit autant dans le sport
<p>Ils sont des stars du football et ont évolué dans les meilleurs clubs du monde. Pourtant, Cristiano Ronaldo et Karim Benzema jouent désormais sous les couleurs de clubs saoudiens inconnus du grand public :<a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/cristiano-ronaldo-sig ... Show More
15m 24s
Jul 2023
The Saudi Arabian Takeover
Saudi Arabia has set the summer transfer window on fire, with numerous superstars such as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kanté following Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League. Saudi clubs are offering massive contracts to these players, but what's the rationale behind these investm ... Show More
26m 51s
Nov 2022
Ronaldo Leaves, United For Sale, Kane Latest & Saudis Shock Argentina
<p>Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester United with immediate effect, the Glazers are ‘willing to sell’ the club, Saudi Arabia stun Argentina at Qatar 2022 in one of the greatest World Cup upsets, there’s injury news from the England camp on Harry Kane and France’s captain Hugo Ll ... Show More
20m 3s
Nov 2023
Saudi Arabia's multi-billion dollar football powerhouse bet
The Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the top players from around the world - with transfer fees and salaries amounting to millions of dollars.We travel to Saudi Arabia to look at the country's ambitious plan to become a global football powerhouse - is it an economic move or ... Show More
17m 42s