It will all come out in the wash
LITTLE wonder Saudi Arabia’s rulers have chosen sport as a vehicle with which to exploit people.
Here in Doha, we have seen them hit the jackpot.
It took less than two hours for the despot nation to go from sportswashing to brainwashing in one fell swoop, thanks to a freak result in a football match.
The Saudi football team’s stunning 2-1 defeat of Argentina is right up there when it comes to the list of all-time World Cup shocks.
But treating the result like it is something to celebrate is also right up there when it comes to the scandalous hypocrisy of those championing the underdogs in green.
Had it been someone like Canada or Switzerland taking down the Argies, then it would have been a tale to warm the cockles during these cold winter weeks.
But it isn’t. It’s one of the most despised and despicable regimes on the planet which will now be basking in the glory of their footballers’ success.
The Saudi hierarchy has a human rights record which it can be argued leaves the hosts of this controversial tournament in the shade – which takes some doing.
Yet one magical moment on a football pitch can make people perform u-turns of which a manic Doha driver would be proud.
It’s exactly what the Saudis want. That’s sportswashing, right there.