1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineSouth AfricaIsrael-Hamas war
Fans of Newcastle United stand outside a stadium in St. James' Park holding the Saudi flag
Image: Owen Humphreys/PA/dpa/picture alliance

Sportswashing

Sportswashing blurs the line between sports, politics, and propaganda, raising questions about the genuine motives behind funding sports events or clubs.

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud

The princess at the center of Saudi Arabia's sporting web

The princess at the center of Saudi Arabia's sporting web

Saudi Arabia's grip on the sporting world is tightening by the day. Meet the woman in the inner circle.
SportsNovember 1, 2023
President of Al Nassr Musalli Al-Muammar (right) with new signing Cristiano Ronaldo at a press conference

Are Middle East investments in the West a threat?

Are Middle East investments in the West a threat?

From football clubs to phone companies, Gulf Arab states are on an investment binge, thanks to high oil prices.
BusinessSeptember 11, 2023
A vehicle passes under a billboard showing Cristiano Ronaldo with Arabic wording which reads, Welcome Ronaldo, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Will football stars have a political impact?

Saudi Arabia: Will football stars have a political impact?

World famous soccer stars are bringing extra scrutiny to more than Saudi Arabia's big-spending football league.
PoliticsSeptember 10, 2023
A man with a Saudi Arabian headdress pases by the ground before an English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur

Sportswashing: Manchester, Newcastle 'easy' targets — report

Sportswashing: Manchester, Newcastle 'easy' targets — report

A new report details how the takeovers of Manchester City and Newcastle United were facilitated by local politicians.
SoccerJune 23, 2023
Manchester City players raise their arms as fireworks light the background behind them

Sportswashing in 2023: Can it be stopped?

Sportswashing in 2023: Can it be stopped?

Sportswashing is once again the hot topic. DW explains what it is and what, if anything, can be done to stop it.
SportsJune 13, 2023
Phil Mickelson putting

Trump celebrates, Amnesty concerned after LIV, PGA merger

Trump celebrates, Amnesty concerned after LIV, PGA merger

Once bitter rivals, the PGA and the Saudi-bankrolled LIV series are set to strike out on a common path.
SportsJune 8, 2023
Show more
Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

A Saudi football fan supporting his national team during a game against Argentina during the 2022 World Cup

Saudi Arabia's sports binge seeks economic dividend

After years of relentless spending, Saudi Arabia is now a central player in the world's most lucrative sports.
BusinessMay 11, 2023
President of Al Nassr Musalli Al-Muammar with new signing Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference

Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia: bigger off the pitch than on

The Middle East is back at the center of the football world with Saudi club Al Nassr's signing of Christiano Ronaldo.
SoccerJanuary 11, 2023
Newcastle fan holds a Saudi Arabia flag

Newcastle following in Manchester City and PSG's footsteps

Has a three-way battle for supremacy in the Arab states now moved to European football pitches?
SoccerSeptember 21, 2022