Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism today announced Leo Messi the new tourism ambassador of the kingdom, where the PSG player traveled to vacation in the city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea.
“This is not his first visit to the kingdom and this is not his last, and I am pleased to announce #Messi_Ambassador_Del_Saudi_Turismo,” Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khatib said on Twitter.
The minister accompanied the text with a picture of Messi with a group of friends, including Argentina player Leandro Paredes, his partner at PSG, and added that the group would take “a special vacation where they explore the treasures of the Red Sea ”, the Jeddah Season festival and“ the ancient history ”of the kingdom.
For his part, Messi posted on Instagram a photo of a yacht in the Red Sea, accompanied by the hashtag #VisitSaudi, the kingdom’s tourism promotion campaign.
The Argentine star’s announcement as Saudi Arabia’s tourist ambassador came true despite the fact that many relatives of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in the kingdom signed the “Don’t do this, Messi” petition last year, considering its large impact. have an agreement on the country’s image whitening campaign.
This petition, sponsored by the NGO Grant Liberty, was signed, among others, by the sisters of prominent Saudi feminist activist Loujain al Hathloul and asked the Argentine not to “sell his soul to the Saudi regime. . “
Cristiano Ronaldo refused
In January 2021, the English newspaper The Telegraph revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo had also contacted Saudi Arabia to become a tourist ambassador, but the Manchester United player turned down an offer of 6 million euros per year.
Messi’s controversial announcement also comes amid the controversy generated by the Spanish Super Cup celebrations in Saudi Arabia, a tournament denounced by international organizations as serving as a ‘sportwashing’ campaign, that is, cleaning up the country’s image. . through major sporting events.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
