Messi stirs controversy by appearing as face of Saudi luxury brand
Soccer fans against the entry of Saudi money into the sport decry Messi's 'sportswashing' of Saudi human rights violations
Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi stirred controversy in the sporting world when he appeared as the face of Saudi luxury brand Sayyar on Tuesday, with fans opposing the entry of Saudi Arabian money into the sport.
The association between Messi and the kingdom has come under fire for the perceived whitewashing of Saudi human rights violations through the sport. Messi, through his sports ambassadorship, is accused of ignoring the country’s discrimination against women and Shiites, executions, torture of prisoners, crackdown of freedom of speech, and other violations reported by human rights groups.
According to his agreement, Messi is reportedly barred from making statements that would paint Saudi Arabia in a negative light.
Appearing in a red and white traditional shemagh, Sayyar posted a photo shoot and video of him with the caption “Luxury, elegance, all the time.” The brand offered consumers to “wear the shemagh just like the GOAT,” an acronym for the “Greatest of All Time.”
Messi has been Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador since 2022, a position soccer rival Cristiano Ronaldo turned down. Despite being wooed by Saudi Arabia to play for a Saudi team, as Ronald does playing for Al-Nasser, Messi opted to play for Inter Miami after leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year.