On June 6, 2018, it was announced that the Italian Super Cup would be played in Saudi Arabia in January 2019. The match will feature Juventus and Milan, a repeat matchup of the last edition which was played in Rome.
On October 2nd,ย Washington Postย journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul, Turkey and was never seen alive again. The Saudi government, after first denying any knowledge of the event, later admitted that Khashoggi was killed in the embassy. Despite claims from the Saudi government that a โfist-fightโ led to Khashoggiโs death and that Crown Princeย Mohammad bin Salman had no involvement, most countries around the world have condemned the actions of Saudi Arabia. The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States also concluded that the Crown Princeย ordered the killingย himself.
The murder of Khashoggi was a clear attack on the free press, and Saudi Arabia has beenย going after dissidents for years.ย โEven before the horrific killing of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia had a truly appalling human rights record,โย saidย Allan Hogarth, Amnesty International UKโs Head of Advocacy and Programmes. โBig clubs like Juventus and AC Milan need to understand that their participation in sporting events in the country could be used as a form of โsportswashing.โ Weโd urge these Italian clubs to think twice about the signal this sends out to sports fans across the world and the brave activists who stand up for human rights in Saudi Arabia,โ Hogarth added.
In addition,ย the Italian state TVโs journalistsโ unionย said last monthย that it was โabsurdโ and โinacceptableโ for the game to be played in Saudi Arabia following Khashoggiโs killing. In solidarity, Italian journalists should boycott the match and refuse to attend. Participating in a sporting event as a journalist in the countryโs capital, Riyadh, sends a signal to the Saudi government that there are no serious repercussions for murder and political assassinations.
Beyond the murder of Khashoggi, for over three years Saudi Arabia has been committingย war crimes and human rights abuses in Yemen, killing thousands and forcing millions into starvation. The United Nations has repeatedly stated that the unfolding catastrophe in Yemen is the worldโs most serious humanitarian disaster. Playing a cup final in a country that is currently attacking and killing civilians in a neighboring country is an abdication of moral standing and an ethical abomination.
Last month, Amnesty International said that women activists have beenย beaten and torturedย during interrogations. Yet less than a month ago, every Serie A player wore red face paint as part of aย campaign against violence against women. In their statement, the leagueย said, โThe initiative aims to raise awareness among the general public about the problem of violence against women.โ Could Serie A possibly be more tone-deaf? The irony here is painful. Even just two years ago,ย only one Serie A team, Fiorentina, was sporting a womenโs team. Juventus, Milan, and Roma have each introduced their own womenโs teams recently but Italy is still far behind the likes of England and France in terms of a womenโs soccer league. How can Serie A try to promote awareness against violence against women, and their own womenโs league, while playing the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia?
To make matters worse, the statement in Juneย disclosedย thatย Serie A agreed to a deal with Saudi Arabiaโs General Sports Authority to host three of the next five Super Cups for a reported profit of โฌ20 million, which isnโt even that much revenue for three cup finals. For comparison, a talent agency based in Beverly Hills, California, Endeavorย gave back $400 millionย that the Saudis invested in the company.
Considering these recent events, the league should have terminated the deal, but instead decided to confirm the match to be played on January 16, 2019. Sadly, it seems Serie A values money over human rights, protecting a free press, violence against women and much more. The Italian Super Cup should not be played in Saudi Arabia. It will be a disgrace to players, the league, and all of Italy should it happen.
