Arabian Nights

In a month where the Saudi regime has been further legitimised by the award of the 2034 World Cup to the country, Fury faces Usyk there tonight in a rematch. But should this be allowed?

Arabian Nights

Whilst many of us have been dashing about preparing for the upcoming Christmas festivities over the past couple of weeks, it has also been a busy, and very prosperous, time for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Firstly they were announced as the, uncontested, hosts of the 2034 World Cup and then tonight they will host one of the biggest boxing fights of the year in the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

This is really nothing new for the Saudis though as over the last 5 years to a decade they have become used to hosting major sporting events hosting everything from boxing, UFC and WWE to F1 and Formula E, and of course luring many top footballers to the Saudi Pro League with massively enhanced contracts. All of this has taken place in state of the art venues, many of which have been built in arenas built specifically for their purpose.

Indeed, the promise of brand new, futuristic stadiums is one of the big selling points behind the World Cup in ten years time. Just looking at some of the proposed designs boggles the mind with ideas ranging from stadiums built within city walls to others where the land and vegetation continues to grow upon the stadium itselfQuite how these stadiums will be realised though brings us to one of the first major contentions to Saudi Arabia hosting any of these major events that they have been so lucky to have hosted in the first place, that being the care and welfare (or lack thereof) of people working on them. In October, an ITV documentary reported that since the Vision 2030 project was launched in the country in 2016, around 21,000 workers have already died due to unsafe conditions. This is on top of the however many thousand also died in preparation of the nearby Qatar World Cup two years ago. Quite how major organisations such as FIFA can continue to sweep such clear disregard for human rights under the carpet is, quite frankly, ludicrous. Clearly, money talks.

It cannot be argued that the finished products, due to all of the financing put into them, are not fantastic, but that is not the point bearing in mind the cost to get there. On top of this, there are also some questions around atmosphere. Quite a few of the boxing and wrestling events have suffered from a distinct lack of atmosphere compared to those staged elsewhere and it is very evident that most, if not all, of the premium front row seats are taken up by a variety of sheikhs and princes who are often there only due to the status of the event, rather than by true fans who would support more vocally. This had led, at times, to events feeling a little flat. This would surely not be the case with the World Cup as fans would still travel in their droves from all over the world but the point still stands in other events.

All of these sorting atrocities are also alongside the questionable practices that take place in the country on a daily basis. These include many human rights activists, or anyone who speaks out against the authority, serving long prison sentences; strict regulation of social media use; questionable judgements on homosexuality (although there is no actual law preventing it); a judgement system that still seems able to do whatever it likes, including sentencing people to be executed; horrendous treatment of many migrants; forced eviction (and potential execution if this is fought against) of land inhabitants to make way for space to build some of the proposed futuristic projects, including the Neom project that will be part of the World Cup; and of course, the much debated attitudes towards the rights of women within the country who, despite some improvements over the years, are still subservient to the will of men in many aspects of life.

Despite all of this being fairly well known, although much whitewashed where possible, major organisations and companies are still encouraging their fans to visit and, aided by this, there has been a 73% growth in foreign tourism in the country since 2019. In a way this is easy to understand given the luxurious nature of what is encountered upon arrival but ethical questions must be raised.

Saudi influence is no longer restricted to their own country either, an occurrence that came glaringly into the public conscience during the takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 where 80% of the funding was provided by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Yes the takeover was fronted by others, but the real power behind it was unquestionable. Again, western authorities are almost giving credence to the Saudi regime by allowing this to happen. A Saudi prince is also in control at Sheffield United and I’m sure it won’t be long until the scale of influence grows further.

So where does this leave us as fans? The answer is in somewhat of a quandary. We may not agree with the fact that sports are turning a blind eye to atrocities and making their homes in Saudi Arabia but, as lovers of sport, we are also reticent to miss out on major events by turning off in protest. We also know that this will course of make very little difference anyway as millions will still tune in regardless meaning that the process will not stop. Gary Lineker openly spoke about being against the Qatar World Cup but realised that he could not boycott the competition. The same can be said about many of the footballers who have gone to play there whose beliefs directly oppose what is going on in the country. Until our own governments and sporting bodies decide to stand firm in their own beliefs against those of the Saudi state then, if we want to celebrate sport, we are somewhat forced to conform.

With that in mind we should probably look at the sport then and focus solely on the merits of this and but everything that is going on around it. When Fury and Usyk meet for the second time tonight it will still be one of the biggest fights that the sport of boxing has seen.

When Usyk beat Fury via split decision in May to become the undisputed champion, he dealt the Gypsy King the first defeat of his professional career. Fury was ahead for two of the judges heading into the ninth round of that fight but was then knocked down by Usyk in a major turning point. He was however outpunched by the Ukrainian and has said that to be successful this time then he must land more of his own punches.

Fury is aiming to become only the sixth man in history to enter a third reign as heavyweight champion but is entering this fight as the underdog. He has weighed in at his heaviest ever and it may be a case of one return too many for the Englishman. He has proven his critics wrong in the past though and it is certainly not outwith the realms of possibility that he could do it again.

Despite the venue for the occasion, millions around the world, including myself, will tune in to watch the fight later today. We should all focus on the competitors rather than the politics behind the event and enjoy the spectacle for what it is. Sport after all is about competition, not about money.