The Saudi Question permeates the global sports business conversation from top to bottom. Billions of pounds has been across multiple layers of the industry, including buying players, purchasing foreign clubs, developing domestic clubs and buying or developing tournaments at home and abroad.
These deals have been pursued by the government itself, the PIF sovereign wealth fund, and Saudi Aramco, the oil firm that is the world’s most profitable company. The scope is enormous, with at least $10bn spent across half a dozen major sports.
So this is the first of a series of podcasts in which we look at the issues arising from this megatrend, exploring the arguments on each side.
Our guests today help set the scene. They are experts in the field of international relations, geopolitics and business ethics.
Robert Barrington is Professor of Anti-Corruption Practice at the Centre for the Study of Corruption in the University of Sussex. He was formerly the head of Transparency International (TI) in the UK, the world’s leading NGO in this area, and chair of TI's International Council.
Dan Hough is Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex School of Law, Politics and Sociology.
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