JAMES NALTON argues that Curtis Jones’s departure leaves Liverpool facing a stark local void as the club’s roots are increasingly swallowed by football’s globalised model
Saudis’ sportswashing venture expected to continue in 2024
Phil Mickelson lines up a shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey, July 29, 2022
As antisemitism spread across Europe and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, Benny Leonard and Jack ‘Kid’ Berg became symbols of hope and resilience, writes JOHN WIGHT
AT THE dawn of 2023, the spectre of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence on pro golf — and sports in general — served not only as a moral conundrum for players and their fans, but also, some argued, as an existential threat to the professional sports industry itself.
Twelve months later, it seems to be a different conversation, now virtually devoid of concern about the menace of “sportswashing” and the line between “right” and “wrong,” and more fixed on just how rich the Saudis might make all these athletes before they’re done investing.
Two major events sparked the change: the June 6 announcement that the PGA Tour was looking to go into business with the very Saudi group that was paying for the kingdom’s LIV Golf, which the tour had originally labelled as a threat.
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Resistance grows as Fifa seeks to hand private investors a slice of the international game, writes JAMES NALTON
