Arrests and religious repression: Football ensnared in Saudi's latest act of subjugation
At least 10 football fans have been arrested and 150 more called into questioning in Saudi Arabia after chanting Shia religious songs deemed “sectarian” by Saudi authorities.
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“The system as a whole in Saudi Arabia has become a pure police state.”
These were the words spoken by renowned Saudi human rights activist Lina Al-Hathloul during the Play the Game 2024 conference in Trondheim, Norway.
The statement was part of Al-Hathloul’s presentation on “The beautiful game meets Saudi repression,” in which she argued that, despite claims of liberalization and newfound societal freedoms, Saudi citizens continue to face mounting persecution.
“I want people to understand how fear has become ubiquitous here in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Hathloul continued. “The fact that the state security can really break into your house and take your daughter or your sister without you being able to know where they are, this is exactly the definition of a police state and this is what Saudi Arabia has become under Mohammed bin Salman.”
Even football is not exempt from the kingdom’s repressive policies.
Last week, at least 10 football fans were arrested and 150 more were called in for questioning for chanting at a recent match that the Saudi authorities deemed “sectarian.”
The incident took place during a Saudi First Division league match between Al Safa FC and Al Bukayriyah FC on Jan. 24 in Safwa City, part of the kingdom’s Shia-majority Eastern Province. Footage appeared to show Al Safa fans chanting Shia slogans and songs during the match, which drew the attention of Saudi authorities.
On Feb. 3, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport announced in a press release published solely on the Arabic portion of its website that it had dissolved the board of directors of Al Safa FC for failing to adhere to the laws and regulations in force in the kingdom. The Ministry of Sport then assigned Ahmed Mohamed al-Sada to manage the club’s affairs until a new board of directors is elected.
“The Ministry of Sports stresses to everyone the need to adhere to the rules and regulations for sports competitions,” concluded the press release.
The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation followed up by announcing sanctions against the club, including a fine of 200,000 riyals ($53,300) and a ban on Al Safa fans attending the next five league matches.
In its findings, the disciplinary committee revealed that “Al-Safa Club fans chanted phrases and chants that violated the provisions of the disciplinary and ethics regulations.”
Furthermore, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) and ALQST have revealed that at least 10 members of Al Safa’s supporters association have been arrested and sent to the Qatif General Prison, and more than 150 have been called in for questioning. ESOHR and ALQST consider the arrests to have been “essentially arbitrary, based as they are on the chanting of slogans and similar non-criminal acts.”
Footage from the incident posted on social media appeared to show the crowd chanting well known Shia religious songs that do not contain anything sectarian or violent.
Saudi’s Shia minority is largely concentrated in the country’s Eastern Province and mainly descend from the Baharna, the indigenous Arab inhabitants of neighbouring Bahrain. The religious minority has been relegated to second-class citizens, with Saudi authorities limiting their ability to practice their religion.
While Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman has attempted to appease the Shia minority by neutering the kingdom’s religious establishments that demonized Shia religious practices and removing some anti-Shia rhetoric from school curriculums, a 2018 report by Human Rights Watch revealed that Saudi authorities remain intolerant of the Shia community.
According to the report, Saudi authorities have placed restrictions on their religious practices, including the annual Ashura commemoration—a day of mourning for the Shia community that commemorates the tragic anniversary of the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, during the Battle of Karbala. Restrictions were also placed on the Husseiniyas (Shia gathering spaces) while the ban on marriage between Shias and Sunnis remains in place.
Moreover, the transnational relationship between Shias across borders has long been used as the basis for accusations of treason against Saudi Shiites.
As Saudi Arabia intensifies its sports initiatives, its ongoing mistreatment of a religious minority raises a troubling parallel. The kingdom has seduced some of the world’s top players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, to join the Saudi Pro League with extraordinary deals that could be worth more than $1 billion in wages, spent $25 million to secure Lionel Messi as a tourism pitchman, and is poised to host of the 2034 World Cup.
Last month, Saudi Arabia also the Spanish Super Cup—a round robin tournament featuring Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and CA Osasuna—as well as the Riyadh Season Cup featuring Messi’s Inter Miami CF. The tournament also saw WWE legend The Undertaker make a lengthy pro wrestling entrance to unveil the trophy during the final.
Most recently, reports have emerged that Saudi Arabia is bidding to purchase Serie A club AS Roma for more than $1 billion.
Yet ESOHR and ALQST maintain that “all of Saudi Arabia’s official bodies – ministries, agencies and committees – are now party to the authorities’ violations of freedoms and basic rights, including bodies that are supposed to be focused on sport, and that this forms part of a policy of intimidating the Saudi public that has become apparent in recent years.”
These recent assaults on religious freedoms underscore the disconcerting reality that no corner of society, not even the world of football, is shielded from Saudi Arabia's encroaching oppression.
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Give Ronaldo time—he can change the Saudis 😂