International football’s ties to Saudi Arabian business continues to grow as the country’s government places a heavy emphasis on its sporting profile and infrastructure.
In the latest development, Italian football giant Inter Milan has inked a regional sponsorship arrangement with Zain KSA, a telecommunications company based in Riyadh.
The company will sponsor Inter Milan throughout the duration of the 2024/25 season, with the deal serving its ambitions of delivering digital experiences to Saudi Arabian sports fans.
Meanwhile, the deal serves Inter Milan’s goal of expanding a presence in the Middle East and tapping into regional football fandom. This builds on the club securing a licence from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment (MISA) last year, allowing it undertake commercial activities in the country.
“We are very happy to announce our first regional partnership in Saudi Arabia, a key market for developing the Inter brand and one that has shown growing enthusiasm for Inter,” said Alessandro Antonello, CEO Corporate at Inter Milan.
“Besides being our first partnership in the Saudi Arabia market, this collaboration with Zain KSA also enables us to join forces with a brand that, like Inter, views innovation and care for their community as two fundamental pillars of their growth strategy.”
As stated above, Saudi Arabia has placed a significant amount of time and resources into elevating its sporting profile. This has seen the creation of the Riyadh Season of sports and entertainment events, encompassing events across tennis, golf, boxing and MMA.
Football has of course also been a key focal area. The Saudi Pro League has attracted some prominent players from the European football scene and the country has been confirmed as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Saudi’s sports ambitions come from a desire to diversify its economy away from its historic core segment to the energy sector. Allegations of sportswashing, given the state’s oft-criticised human rights record, have dogged the sporting element of Saudis’ Vision 2030 since its inception, however.
Regardless of Saudi’s intentions and ambitions in sports, the amount of money that has been funnelled into the sector has made it a lucrative opportunity and like every other continent, football is big business in the Middle East.
It is unsurprising that clubs in highly competitive European leagues, where any financial advantage can make a big difference, like the Serie A’s Inter Milan, are interested in building up a commercial presence in the Middle East and particularly, Saudi Arabia.