The Saudis have ambitions to seize control over parts of international soccer. Losing 5-0 by Russia in the World Cup opener shows they might have bigger problems at home.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had to endure the humiliation in the stadium on Thursday, with Saudi Arabia’s mauling coming at the hands of a side just below the Saudis in the FIFA rankings.
Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi studiously sidestepped a question about whether the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has been distracted lately — but it has.
Just when the Saudis had a first World Cup appearance in 12 years to prepare for, the federation has been mounting a power grab far beyond the kingdom.
What appears the creation of just another bureaucratic institution within the sport could actually have wider ramifications.
On its face, the establishment of the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF) to help to develop the game appears a benevolent undertaking, especially when the existing regional governing body is so vast.
“Football is about growth and if you don’t grow economically, socially, technically, you will not be moving,” federation president Adel Ezzat said. “We have a vision that an Asian country will win the World Cup one day, but there must be a start for that.”
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman, a Bahraini, said he “had no objection to the creation of SWAFF, as long as it remains as a football body outside of the AFC’s zonal structure.”
Scratch deeper below the surface and the true objectives of the new body seem a little cloudy. It is unclear why SWAFF is required, when there are already regional offshoots of the AFC, including the West Asian Football Federation, which is led by Jordanian Prince Ali bin Hussein, who resisted an attempt by the Saudis to seize power of his organization before the new regional force emerged.
“It will help Asia and it will help FIFA,” Ezzat said. “We don’t see anything wrong creating that connection between the south and the west. Football needs to grow.”
SWAFF had followed the right legal steps to avoid breaching FIFA rules, Ezzat said, adding that FIFA governance committee head Mukul Mudgal had been dispatched to the SWAFF meeting on May 31 in Jeddah. The Indian judge denied he was in attendance.
SWAFF said the founding members also include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bahrain, the Maldives, Yemen, Oman and Kuwait.
The entire Gulf is not in SWAFF. Three nations in particular are missing: Iran, Qatar and Yemen.
“It’s not about the geographic map,” Saudi federation president Adel Ezzat said. “It’s about zones.”
Could it also be about politics?
For three years, a Saudi-led coalition has been trying to drive out the Iranian-aligned Houthis from Yemen, and the Saudis are part of a quartet putting the squeeze on Qatar.
Ezzat would not discuss Qatar or the 2022 World Cup it is to host, but for now, in Saudi sights are on Qatar’s flagship sports network, which owns exclusive Middle East and North African rights to the World Cup.
The BeIN Sports coverage of the opener was watched across Saudi Arabia, but on a pirate channel.
Still, the BeIN coverage was seized on by Saudi General Sports Authority Chairman Turki al-Sheikh to threaten legal action against the network for “wrongdoings against KSA [the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], its sports and officials, and for exploiting sports to achieve political goals.”
However, FIFA is finally intervening, saying it is “exploring all options to stop the infringement of its rights, including in relation to action against legitimate organizations that are seen to support such illegal activities.”
“[FIFA president Gianni Infantino] knows for a fact the importance of Saudi Arabia in the region,” Ezzat said. “That’s why I believe he is paying a lot of attention to Saudi Arabia... That’s a very important sign. [FIFA] know this country can play a very important role in the development of football.”
Infantino said he believed the backing for the new competitions was “not part of a wider Saudi sports grab.”
The proposals have stalled because of opposition within the council to Infantino’s secrecy over the financial backers.
Growing soccer is part of a sweeping “Vision 2030” plan to wean Saudi Arabia off its dependence on oil money.
Ezzat wants to create new competitions under the auspices of SWAFF and invite nations to participate from beyond the region — particularly Europe.
“The country is going through an important change,” Ezzat said. “Football can be a catalyst for change. The FIFA president I’m sure knows this very well... My country can play an important role in football.”
Just not the national team at the moment.
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