Soccer is not immune to the "Manifesto of Repression."

Soccer is not immune to the "Repression Declaration".

Saudi Arabia's Pro League season is winding down, and the Gulf Kingdom has much work to do when it's over. This comes after a year filled with elite players like Ronaldo, Benzema, and Neymar. However, these same rulers are imprisoning football fans and hinting at evils for the 2034 World Cup.

Lina Al-Hathloul, a known Saudi human rights activist, summed up the situation during the "Play the Game 2024" conference in Norway, stating "The entire system in Saudi Arabia has become a pure police state." While there have been whispers of liberalization and gained social freedoms, citizens now face repression, strict laws, and human rights violations.

Once the Saudi Pro League season ends this evening, the world will see that sports are being used to cover up a violent regime. Saudi authorities arrested at least ten Al-Safa FC fans in January, with 150 more called in for questioning. The crime? Chanting and singing Shiite slogans during a game against Al Bukayriyah FC in the predominantly Shiite eastern province. The government claimed the fans' chants were "sectarian."

They now face up to five years in prison, according to Amnesty International. The Saudi Sports Ministry swiftly dismissed Al-Safa's board, but only posted the news in Arabic on their website. The Disciplinary and Ethics Commission of the Saudi Football Association also fined Al-Safa $53,300 and banned fans from attending the club's next five league games.

A social media video showed this crowd singing popular religious Shiite songs, with no clear signs of violence or sectarian content. Saudi Arabian authorities view Shiites as religious heretics, downgrading them into second-class citizens, and restricting their opportunities to practice their religion.

"Saudi Arabia is bidding for the 2034 World Cup, and in March the authorities arrested a dozen football fans for singing a popular song at a football match in January in memory of a figure revered by Shiite Muslims," worries Ellen Wesemüller, spokeswoman for Amnesty International Germany.

These arrests highlight how the Saudi government is suppressing human and minority rights, as well as religious freedom. Meanwhile, Amnesty International is concerned about the safety of football fans during a World Cup in Saudi Arabia, considering they might be jailed for simply exercising their right to free speech due to vague and abusive laws.

"In a time when Saudi authorities are spending billions on sports to improve their image globally, the arrest of these football fans is another example of their mass crackdown on freedom of expression," says Heba Morayef, director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa. "They are attempting to use top-level sports as a way to distract from their appalling human rights record by engaging in sports washing."

Hosting the World Cup is Saudi Arabia's primary goal for sports washing. While the World Cup is yet to be awarded, the Kingdom is already shaping up to host it and has FIFA chief Gianni Infantino as its biggest cheerleader. To avoid complicity, Wesemüller from Amnesty International urges FIFA to make binding agreements with Saudi Arabia to protect people from exploitation, discrimination, and repression before granting the hosting of the tournament. Should FIFA fail to do this, they'll be seen as "accomplices."

As football's spotlight shifts to Qatar's World Cup in 2022, the topic of workers comes into focus. The Saudis still use the exploitative Kafala system for migrant workers and women. While there have been reforms, the Kafala system remains the reason why workers endure abuse, including forced labor.

The Saudi government is also working on a written criminal code for the first time. Wesemüller from Amnesty International sees the positive side, saying "There will no longer be people at the mercy of the often arbitrary and unjust individual decisions of judges." However, the draft criminal code is concerning, violating international human rights standards and enshrining repressive practices into law. It criminalizes freedom of opinion, thought, and religion, maintains the death penalty, and allows for flogging. The code also criminalizes consensual sexual relationships, homosexuality, and abortion while failing to protect women and girls from gender-based violence.

The largest sports undertaking in the nation, and part of Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 as Crown Prince and de facto leader, is the national football league. The Saudi Pro League. Backed by the state-owned, oil-funded, and extravagant Public Investment Fund (around 600 billion euros), the league hopes to take on the world's prominent leagues, like the Bundesliga and the English Premier League, to subvert the Eurocentric football system.

Yet, the enthusiasm and worldwide recognition from last summer, when an armada (approximately 900 million euros) of top players and previous elite athletes made their way to the desert, has diminished at present. Hype has not materialized. Despite showcasing superstars such as Ronaldo, Neymar, and Benzema with flamboyant pyrotechnic exhibits last year, the revamped Saudi league has provided minimal excitement since. Minimal fans and late kick-off times have also influenced the stars.

Some, like former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, have already left for Europe after a few months. In Europe, only scandals from the league have sparked attention, such as when Ronaldo was ejected, or when he had a dispute with a spectator, or when a spectator carried a whip to the event and hit a player with it. Still, there's news of a significant transfer soon: Mohamed Salah from Liverpool.

If the season concludes tonight, the champion is already determined. Al-Hilal has won the fourth title in five years three games earlier - without Neymar since October. The divide between the four clubs, who have been under PIF control since last year, and the remaining clubs is significant. Al-Hilal, Ronaldo's Al-Nassr, Benzema's Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli occupy four of the top five spots in the table. If the contest is nearly over, tension fades away.

Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at the French SKEMA Business School, recently spoke with the French news agency AFP: "Saudi Arabian football must come to terms with the fact that money and players aren't sufficient to ensure long-term achievement." Saudi football is "increasingly invisible" this year, Chadwick added, and they have "a considerable amount of work ahead."

Nevertheless, the focus of the monarchs in Riyadh has already moved towards the 2034 World Cup. The world's biggest stage will no longer be Saudi Arabia's domain. En route, there'll be more than just football fans arrested.