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Engulfed

How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World

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About this listen

 'Bravura on the ground reporting'
David Goldblatt, award-winning author of The Ball is Round

'This is an important book'
Simon Kuper, bestselling author of Soccernomics, Chums and Barça

'Compelling'
The Times

'A subtle examination of the complex interplay between global ambition, economic power, and ethical considerations'
MoneyWeek
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In 2034, Saudi Arabia will host the men's FIFA World Cup and mark the culmination of Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious plan to modernise Saudi Arabia, a kingdom of unfathomable wealth at the heart of the Islamic world, which is only now emerging from nearly a century of self-isolation. How did we get here? Why would a country spend tens of billions of dollars, perhaps even hundreds of billions in the long run, to buy and control sport?

Engulfed is a story about ambition, family rivalries, extreme wealth, power, murder and disinformation. It is also the story of dictatorship, political corruption and, at its root, how sport - football, yes, but also golf, boxing and even e-sports - became a vital geopolitical tool for Saudi Arabia.

Drawing on Montague's exclusive first-hand interviews from his extensive travels across Saudi Arabia, the US, the north-east of England, Spain, Turkey and beyond, Engulfed uncovers how the House of Saud zeroed in on the political power of sport, using it both as a powerful political tool of influence and as a way to rectify the PR damage caused by one of the most infamous assassinations in history: the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.©2025 James Montague (P)2025 Bonnier Books UK Football (Soccer) Sociology of Sports Sports Middle East Iran Saudi Arabia Royalty England Murder Combat Sports
All stars
Most relevant
A very interesting read. Yet more evidence that greed is our biggest flaw - when is will you have enough? Influencial sport stars need to grow a backbone and stand up for human rights, civil rights, etc instead of using their face to promote an authoritarian dictatorial murderer. Well researched and it pulled together bits and pieces I'd heard about and made it all quite clear just how dirty sport has become.

Worrying times ahead for sport

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a really insightful, unbiased, look into the world of Saudi Arabian sports and politics, would highly recommend

Brilliant Listen

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