As their jets soared toward Riyadh, football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar will have given Saudi Arabia’s border with conflict-torn Yemen a wide berth.
This summer, dozens of big-name players transferred to the Saudi Pro League on salaries reaching $213 million, as part of a multi-billion dollar ‘sportswashing’ spending spree. This largesse is presumably intended to cover up the country’s human rights abuses – including a deadly bombing campaign and blockade on Yemen, where a decade-long conflict has killed hundreds of thousands.
