When Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez openly celebrated their engagement in Riyadh—cohabiting unmarried with children—it crossed from celebrity news into something larger. It was a moment that exposed a reality Saudi Arabia prefers the world would not see: the rules are twisted for the powerful and the famous, but other people are tied up in repression.
For decades, Saudi Arabia practiced rigid interpretations of religious law, punishing individuals for “moral crimes” like living together outside marriage. For the average citizen and migrant worker, these punishments are still a threat today. But for a football megastar worth millions to the regime’s reputation, the same rules seem to disappear. This is not reform—it is selective liberalization intended to present a modern, open image while fundamental systems of control persist.
The Ronaldo anecdote is only one part of a much bigger plan: sportswashing. Saudi Arabia is spending billions of dollars on world sport to spruce up its image in time for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. But under the floodlights is an uglier narrative of exploitation, censorship, and abuse.
Human Cost of Mega Projects: Exploiting Migrant Workers
The World Cup will need gargantuan infrastructure—stadiums, five-star hotels, new transport links—all constructed in the short term. Saudi Arabia’s labor force for such initiatives comes overwhelmingly from migrant workers, with more than 13 million migrant workers present there.
Most of them are being lured from lower-income countries with the promise of decent wages, only to be stuck in hazardous, exploitative work under the Kafala sponsorship system. This regime provides employers with enormous power, frequently taking possession of employees’ passports, denying them wages, and rendering it virtually impossible for them to quit work or go back home.
- Approximately 13 million foreign workers are subjected to systemic exploitation in Saudi Arabia.
- The Kafala system allows forced labor and control of workers’ movement by employers.
- Widespread wage theft, passport seizure, and squalid living conditions afflict many.
- Hundreds of migrant workers lose their lives annually on large-scale construction sites.
Selective Reforms for Image, Not Equality
Leaders in Saudi Arabia always refer to the latest modifications—such as the removal of the prohibition on driving by women—as evidence of improvement. However, for the majority of citizens, these changes are cosmetic. Women continue to be subject to legal guardianship regulations in most aspects of life, and the availability of elementary rights is always based on marriage status. For instance, women without marriage certificates are excluded from receiving medical treatment, education for their children, or legal residence.
And while it is permissible for celebrities from abroad to champion greater reform, public defenders of greater reform are harshly punished. Foreign celebrities have public freedom, whereas Saudi women who advocate for equal rights may be arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for years. The “reforms” of the country are more about fashioning a global image than establishing equality.
- Law reforms serve elites and foreign residents much more than common people.
- Women activists are sentenced to long prison terms for peaceful activism.
- Access to health, education, and legal rights is still frequently conditional upon marriage status.
- Public image of liberalization conceals deep-rooted gender discrimination.
Political Repression and Censorship
Saudi Arabia is among the most politically repressive countries in the world. Government criticism—whether online or in private—can lead to arrest, extended prison terms, or even death. The lack of a written penal code makes it possible for governments to interpret laws broadly, allowing dissent to be easily criminalized.
High-profile victims include academics, reporters, and regular citizens jailed for no more than a tweet. The regime resorts to loose charges like “terrorism” or “compromising public order” to suppress any form of opposition. Welcoming an international event like the World Cup while ignoring such repression threatens to legitimize such abuses. Key points:
- Citizens may be sentenced to decades in jail for tweets.
- There have been mass executions, including more than 80 on a single day.
- Terrorism laws are utilized to criminalize peaceful activism.
- Absence of a codified penal code facilitates arbitrary legal action.
Geopolitical Image Laundering Through Sport
Saudi Arabia has invested billions in buying up international sporting events, sponsoring sports clubs, and recruiting superstar athletes. Golf tournaments, boxing matches, Formula 1 racing, and now the FIFA World Cup have become instruments in a deliberate effort to change the way the world perceives it.
This is traditional sportswashing: leveraging the global popularity of sport to divert attention from human rights violations and political repression. Each high-gloss marketing effort, each Instagram image of high-end resort hotels, is part of a calculated design to rebrand the nation—without altering the realities on the ground for the people. The World Cup will provide the biggest platform ever for this strategy, providing the regime with unprecedented international legitimacy. Key points:
- Billions spent on sport to burnish global reputation.
- Sportswashing deflects from continuing abuses and repression.
- High-profile events and players as PR tools.
- The 2034 World Cup will be the regime’s most powerful propaganda platform to date.
The Ronaldo Example: Celebrity Freedom vs. Ordinary Reality
The Ronaldo–Georgina case is a perfect illustration of Saudi Arabia’s double standards. It would be unthinkable for the vast majority of inhabitants to have an unmarried couple living together openly, but exceptions are allowed for those whose presence adds prestige to the country.
Common Saudi women in such situations may face legal actions, whereas migrant women without marriage certificates can be refused basic services for themselves and their children. This selective application is not by chance—it forms part of a managed image rebranding, whereby the existence of celebrities is employed to herald a new age of openness. Points to consider:
- Celebrities have freedoms that other residents are not accorded.
- Unmarried cohabitation is still risky for most people and migrants.
- Public exceptions were utilized to help create the illusion of liberalization.
No World Cup Without Rights
The 2034 World Cup bid of Saudi Arabia is not just a sporting competition—it’s the culmination of a multi-billion-dollar effort to promote a nation without allowing it to reform on a deeper level of injustices. From the abuse of migrant workers to suppressing activists, the regime’s record is everything.
The Ronaldo case can look like a romantic love affair, but it is really a peek behind the scenes—how the rules get rewritten for those working in the interests of the state’s PR agenda, while millions are ensnared in control systems. If football is all about unity, justice, and respect, then the worldwide football community should stand up. No World Cup without rights. No games without justice.