The Saudi Takeover, Josh’s Truth, and Leo’s Seventh
By Danial Golforoush
Choosing to deny the existence of complexities and downfalls of what we love is part of human nature, much like ignoring parents’ or loved ones’ shortcomings and wrongdoings. Confronting the flaws and intricacies of what we love yields truth and the entirety of the experience of it. The world of football was just given the opportunity to—once again—battle its truth with a series of provocative events in the latter part of 2021, a year that has been everything and anything but normal.
The Saudi Takeover: The New Billionaire on the Block
For Premier League fans, it almost felt like Newcastle United would never find its new owner. The back and forth between Mike Ashley (Newcastle’s last owner), the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the Premier League made it all feel like a weekly episode of Nana’s favorite soap opera! But on Sunday, October 17, the team played its first match at home, St. James’ Park, and began a new era under the new owners.
Per reports, the sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, became the majority shareholder at the club. It is fair to mention that sports fans are used to the acquisition of clubs by billionaires or sovereign wealth funds. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is the owner of Chelsea FC, while the Glazer family owns both Manchester United and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2008, Manchester City was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group, owned by Sheikh Mansour of the United Arab Emirates, which subsequently purchased more clubs under the City Football Group. Qatar Sports Investments bought Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and Red Bull, a company best known for their drinks giving you wings, building a profitable empire with the purchase of multiple clubs around the world in places like Germany, the U.S., and Austria.
All in all, football is not a stranger to the likes of PIFs. However, the Saudi takeover was more complicated and controversial than the ones before. Besides the usual questions of compromising the spirit of the sport, “sportswashing” has been a concern among the community. Saudi Arabia’s questionable record on human rights has only led to the belief that the purchase of the club is mainly to become a positive PR-generating machine. Often the argument brought up during these acquisitions is that the money and attention surrounding the city will help with the growth of the community as well. Only time will tell if the acquisition of Newcastle will be a success on and off the field, but—for many—this is the continuation of football’s obsession with commercialization and its indifference to the grassroots of the game, its fans, the community, and the essence of the game.
Josh’s Truth: “I’m a footballer, and I’m gay.”
Football is not immune to toxic masculinity. In some ways, it is one of the biggest platforms that enables the perpetuation of it—from the strong man culture to lack of mental health resources for players to the lack of safe spaces for LGBTQ+ players. In late October 2021, Australian footballer Josh Cavallo became the first active football player to come out as gay. Cavallo made this announcement via a video on the official Twitter page of his team, The Adelaide United. “I’m a footballer, and I’m gay,” he said, as a look of relief and a wave of emotions washed down his face. “Growing up, I always felt the need to hide myself because I was ashamed. Ashamed I would never be able to do what I love and be gay, hiding who I really am to pursue a dream I always wished for as a kid. All I want to do is play football and be treated equally.” Cavallo continued by saying that he was living a “double life” before he made the news public. “I want to inspire and show people that it’s OK to be yourself and play football. It’s OK to be gay and to play football,” he said. “Be yourself. You were meant to be yourself, not someone else.”
Cavallo mentioned that throughout his time as a professional soccer player, he felt that by living his truth, he would be judged and neglected! Fortunately, a wave of positive and supportive messages came through from other professional players and teams—Zlatan Ibrahimović, Marcus Rashford, Manchester City, and Major League Soccer, to name a few. In the past, players chose to come out publicly only after retirement; both Thomas Hitzlsperger and Robbie Rogers chose this path after playing, demonstrating their fear of being rejected by their team and community for who they are. During an interview with the ¡Qué Golazo! podcast, Cavallo demonstrated the importance of such support for all: “It saddens me to think we could have the next Messi or Suarez on our hands, and if he’s gay, he could turn away from the game.”
Leo’s Seventh: Look! Up in the Sky! It’s an Alien, It’s a Magician, It’s Lionel Messi!
It almost feels like déjà vu as Lionel Messi takes a record-extending seventh Golden Ball home to Paris. Golden Ball, or Ballon d’Or, is the sport’s most prestigious individual prize, sought after by all the top players within the game. As ESPN’s Gabriele Marcotti puts it, “If the sport is some kind of lingua franca, then this is the equivalent of talking about the weather, a natural conversation starter when you don’t know what to say.”
The award has become a popularity contest as more media and commercialization is introduced to the game. It’s almost like the game is hungry for drama and attention. This is not to say that Messi did not deserve this award, but that there might be a better way to celebrate a team sport! Regardless, it is worth taking these moments in as Ronaldo and Messi have battled and split the riches between them in 11 of the last 12 Ballon d’Ors. The pair have only a few more years left in the tank until the likes of France’s Mbappé and Norway’s Haaland take over the conversation! The question will remain if any pair or any player can repeat what Messi has done here.
Regardless, it is worth celebrating these parts of the game for what they are as we battle with the questions of toxic masculinity and sportswashing in the game.
