Leo Messi became Saudi ambassador, and was criticized: "Do you support that, Messi?"

The Paris Saint-Germain star was introduced as the ambassador of the Saudi Ministry of Tourism.

Amnesty: "Traveling there is one thing, getting money to glorify them is another."

Report: Unlike Messi, Ronaldo refused a Saudi offer

Walla!

sport

11/05/2022

Wednesday, 11 May 2022, 13:17 Updated: 13:36

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We ticked off: Today's summary clip, 11.5 (Sports 1)

Saudi Arabia officially revealed this week that Lionel Messi has become an ambassador for the country's tourism ministry, during which he drew quite a bit of criticism.

On Monday, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism tweeted from its Twitter account photos of Messi with his Paris Saint-Germain friend Andrew Pardes as the two were received in Saudi Arabia, with the caption: "We welcome Leo Messi and his friends in Jeddah, who will enjoy the city's historic heritage and Red Sea beauty." , Including labeling of #Messi_Ambassador_For_Saudi_Tourism.

Messi himself also posted a post from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, in which he was seen sailing on a yacht with the caption "Consume the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia", and the tag "#VisitSaudi".

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As you may recall, in February this year, when the possibility was first revealed that Messi would work alongside the Saudis and cooperate with them, families of political prisoners in the country wrote him a public letter demanding that he not do so.

The letter was published with the help of human rights organizations.

"You are an inspiration to millions of people, and every one of your statements is important and meaningful," read the prisoners 'families' representatives. Those who criticize the government may be imprisoned indefinitely, or even sentenced to death. Saudi Arabia is trying to use you to whitewash its image in the world. This".

As stated, this did not stop Messi from cooperating with the state.

In England it is mentioned that in 2019 David Beckham was severely criticized only for his very participation in a showcase game in Saudi Arabia.

The human rights organizations UNICEF and Amnesty have issued a number of public statements against the state, including a request from famous athletes not to cooperate with it.

It is further claimed in England that Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, last year rejected an offer of £ 6 million for commercial cooperation with the Saudis.

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Messi is cooperating with the Saudis despite his Qatari-owned PSG team, but the Qataris have approved the move for the Argentine.

In fact, the team even agreed to play in Saudi Arabia in a showcase match, which was later canceled.

Also, this is of course not the first time a senior footballer has collaborated with a Muslim country where human rights are being violated, not to mention the takeover of the industry by Qatari money and the approval of the Premier League management to buy Newcastle by the Saudi investment fund.

But Amnesty officials in Norway tweeted a clear message this week: "Traveling to Saudi Arabia is one thing. Getting money to glorify it in the world is another thing."

After putting together a long list of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, including the persecution of homosexuals, Amnesty wrote: "Do you really want to support this, Messi?".

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