Cristiano Ronaldo was retiring after his team's defeat last April against Al Ittiyah, the group that has acquired the services of Karim Benzema for 100 million euros a year, and the rival fans began to chant: “Messi, Messi”. Ronaldo, who lost any chance of winning the league in the ranks of Al Nassr, responded by grabbing his genitals. Then the fire.

A Saudi lawyer, Nouf bin Ahmed, assured that she would denounce the Portuguese for “a crime of public indecency”. “It is considered a crime and entails arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner,” he wrote on a social network.. His testimony was joined by those of many other fans who also asked that the Portuguese be expelled from the country. Obviously none of that has happened.. It's Cristiano Ronaldo. “We don't know what would have happened to someone other than Ronaldo, but we do know that there are other people in jail for that crime,” says Carlos de las Heras, a spokesman for Amnesty International.

The Portuguese was the first star to bet on the millions of Saudi Arabia. Then came Benzema, Kanté and Mahrez, among others. “I have opened the door. My decision was crucial to incorporate great players”, said the Portuguese striker recently while Pep Guardiola raised the cry: “They have changed the market”.

The Portuguese forgot that those who have followed him come with salaries, sometimes four times higher than their previous salaries, and the Catalan coach that his team, Manchester City, belongs mostly to City Group (78%), a fund from Abu Dhabi that has invested more than 2,300 million euros in transfers alone since its acquisition in 2008.

City, Qatar World Cup, PSG, Newcastle…. but also the LIV Golf, several Formula 1 awards or the Dakar Rally. The Middle East has seemingly unlimited financial resources, but needs to project a very limited external image, especially when it comes to human rights. Clubs, major sporting events and signings are the three pillars of sportwashing, image laundering through sport, in the Middle East, although “Saudi Arabia is the champion”, according to De las Heras and recalls that these methods have already been used to whiten Nazi Germany with the Berlin Olympic Games or the Videla dictatorship the World Cup in Argentina 78.

This association includes in its latest report on Saudi Arabia various violations of Human Rights, and speaks of the “most worrying” situation in the region. There is the execution of 81 people, after “unfair trials” for various crimes. Or the torture and deportation of Ethiopian families “because of their status as irregular immigrants.”

Saudi Arabia is beginning a process that was previously started by the United Arab Emirates or Qatar. “It is very good for Arab culture to be able to make itself known in the world beyond the prejudices and unfair criticism that has been made about this country and this region”, said Xavi Hernández, coach of FC Barcelona about the discrepancies that arose about the celebration of the World Cup in the country he coached. But the laws do not change for a World Cup.

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Articles 296.3 and 296.4 of the Qatari Penal Code provide prison sentences for any person who “commits an act of sodomy or perversion” or an “act contrary to morality”. The latest Amnesty International report includes the arbitrary detention and torture as well as other ill-treatment of six people due to their sexual orientation in the emirate. And, if you are a woman, you still need the permission of a male guardian to: get married, study abroad, work in certain public jobs or travel if you are under 25, among others.

In the United Arab Emirates, LGTBI actions and women are also condemned, although the country is subject to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, they do not enjoy the same treatment as men despite the sharia, or islamic law. Thus, they do not have the same legal and civil capacity as them.

From Amnesty International “they do not defend boycotts” to the celebration of events or other sports promotions in these countries, but they do request that clauses be included in the contracts related to human rights and that, once finished, their respect be monitored.

progress

De las Heras gives the example of the first Spanish Super Cup in Arabia and how women were allowed to enter areas previously exclusively for men and that, months later, Saudi legislation began to allow this condition in other types of events. “The changes are very slow,” explains the spokesman for Amnesty International about the improvements in these countries and mentions that the interpretation of the sharia is one of the obstacles when establishing them.

“Today I feel Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled, a migrant worker,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino, in the presentation of the World Cup in Qatar. Today, it is still difficult to be any of those things in most countries in the Middle East.

Laura Fuertes remembers that at the age of 16 she wanted to start boxing and received so much support at home, so much understanding, so much encouragement that her father, Manuel, signed up with her.. “In my gym, the Asturbox, in Gijón, there was an offer that lasted three months and we both went. He left it quickly, but I stayed”, the first Spanish boxer classified for the Olympic Games recalls in conversation with EL MUNDO. Before her, since the 2024 Paris Games, there were 48 male boxers in competition and up to three medalists -Enrique Rodríguez, Faustino Reyes and Rafa Lozano twice-, but no women. You can't talk about equally, precisely.

Is boxing a macho sport? Depends how you look at it. As I was saying, I have been lucky to receive the support of my family and in my gym I have always been valued. I would say that no boxer thinks that women are inferior because they see what we train, what we suffer. But among the public there is everything. Sometimes you do have to put up with sexist comments: they tell me that boxing is not something feminine or they ask me why I fight with this girlish face.

From Monteana, a tiny district of Gijón, next to the ArcelorMittal blast furnaces, a working area, Fuertes had tried everything before boxing.. He practiced swimming until he burned out, like so many others, he dedicated a couple of seasons to basketball and tennis, he discovered karate and finally he got into the ring with all the intention of competing, of making a name for himself.. “I know there are a lot of people who box recreationally now, just for training, but I am very competitive.. There is nothing that gives you the adrenaline that the competition gives you. I watched videos on Youtube and Instagram, I followed him on television. One day my mother took me to an evening and it was already clear to me”, says Fuertes.

On his way there was a move, to the Madrid High Performance Center, in 2019, and a disappointment. Before the Tokyo 2020 Games, she was already prepared to be an Olympic, she already had the movements, she already had the experience, but the covid pandemic canceled a Pre-Olympic and she could not even apply for the place. So this time, at the first opportunity, at the European past in Krakow, bingo!

“If I won the bronze match, I had a ticket for Paris 2024 and in the second round I already knew I was winning.. When I finished I started crying, I came down from the ring crying and I didn't stop crying even when they interviewed me. It was very exciting,” she recounts. She needed that classification. Because perhaps it was her only chance to be an Olympic. Despite the 'boom' of recreational boxing, the sport is in crisis and will not make it to the Los Angeles 2028 Games. the stigma of violence persecutes him “You have to change that vision, but it will not happen from one day to the next. We fight with protections and with great security. Boxing is not a fight in the street”, defends Fuertes, who believes that his sport can still return to the times when it created stars and filled pavilions. Not surprisingly, the evenings organized by Ibai Llanos are a success year after year.

These evenings are either a problem or an opportunity for boxing. Both. They give us a lot of visibility and I'm sure there are people who are curious. Perhaps there are those who sign up for a gym after seeing an evening of Ibai. On the other hand, they give a little anger. The influencers who fight barely spend four months on it and, despite this, they fill stadiums and have millions of viewers on Twitch. It would be nice to intersperse celebrity fights with professional fights so that the public, especially young people, see what boxing really is.

A draw against Japan is enough for Spain this Monday (09:30. The 1) to be first in the group, once they have already qualified for the round of 16 of the World Cup. Jorge Vilda's team will include Alexia Putellas in its starting eleven. The player was a doubt for this competition until the last moment. But, the doubts were cleared up by the coach when he made the prelist public.. He needed filming, since he had only played six games with Barcelona and two friendlies before the World Cup. For the debut in the tournament he was still not 100%. Even so, the coach showed his confidence and gave him the last 15 minutes.

Few, but more than enough to see that the current Ballon d'Or was back. It was also noticed by the fans. I wanted to see her. As soon as she warmed up on the sidelines, those present in the stadium did not stop cheering her on, and when she entered the field she received a tremendous ovation.

Starter in the second game

Against Zambia he no longer started from the bench. He played the first 45 minutes, which were more than enough for him to participate in two of the goals for the Spanish team. In the first, it was she who originated it and managed to combine with Jenni Hermoso, and she with Tere Abelleira, to open the scoring. In the second goal, it was Putellas who gave the last pass to his former Barça teammate, Hermoso, so that she increased the distance on the scoreboard. The magic is still in his boots. In fact, Vilda himself acknowledged after the game that the player “has left a good feeling, she has improved the team. It's been 45 quality minutes.”

With this performance, everything indicates that he will start again against Japan. Spain needs her, and she is showing that she can give her best version. It is not usual to see her talk a lot, she does it with the ball but it is her own teammates who verbally vindicate her quality. “Everyone when Alexia plays is happy, she gives us everything that a Ballon d'Or can give you on the pitch”, said Olga Carmona. “Playing with her is incredible, I'm very happy that after the year that has passed she can be here,” said Tere Abelleira.

Brilliant off the field

The best player on the planet does not only shine on the pitch, she also shines outside with a gesture that has gone around the world. After finishing the match against Zambia, in which the Spanish team won 5-0, the Catalan came up to shake hands with the rivals, who were tremendously dejected as the result left them out of the tournament.

A gesture of absolute sportsmanship that did not stop there. Putellas did not hesitate to hug the African women and offer them their comfort. No one better than her knows what it's like to have to say goodbye to a World Cup so soon. In 2015 Spain was eliminated in the group stage and in 2019 in the round of 16. Something that Putellas, like the whole team, hopes will not happen this time.

Spain arrived at the match against Japan unbeaten. They had not conceded a goal in either of the two previous games and Japan arrived in the same situation. This was the acid test. The Asian team was the real difficult rival. He came out very compact at the back and did a great job preventing Spain from finding spaces to create danger.

Japan took the early lead on the scoreboard with a goal from Miyazawa in the 11th minute. It was a jug of cold water for the Spanish team, who couldn't get into the game. In two passes the Asian team connected with Miyazawa and she managed to beat Misa. It was the first goal that Spain conceded in the entire competition. And although Vilda's team was looking to be better on the pitch, Japan was being more accurate.

Despite going behind on the scoreboard, the team tried to progress in the game, but Japan was very clear about their strategy, to continue covering all the spaces that Spain was trying to influence.

In minute 28 came the second goal for the Japanese. Ueki scored after a defensive error by Spain against Japan. The Asian player stood in front of Misa's goal and didn't miss.

Despite going two goals behind, the Spanish team kept trying with a couple of plays that did not pose too much danger to the Japanese goalkeeper. But the nightmare for Vilda's was not over.. In minute 39 came the third goal that sentenced the game, although the second half still remained to be played.

Without a doubt, it was a result that none of the Spanish women expected.. And despite the fact that they were way ahead on the scoreboard, the reality is that in the match Spain was being better but Japan was more effective, of the three shots they took, all three ended up inside Misa's goal.

The break came with a very bulky result against and that was a real punishment for the defensive mistakes made. Vilda knew she had to change something and before the second half began, she made the first change.. Olga Carmona left and Oihane Hernández entered, to seek to enter the game.

A change was noticeable, Spain began to press more, corrected their mistakes behind and began to feel looser in attack. Even so, and despite putting in all the desire in the world, there was no way for them to reach the goal, and that control of the ball was completely theirs.

The nightmare had not yet ended and it is that in 81 the rout was consummated. The fourth from Japan arrived, and this time it did sentence the game. The Japanese conclude the group stage without having conceded any goals, while Spain, which started the match as first in the group, finished in second position and will face Switzerland next Saturday at 7:00.

The big day for Spain in the swimming World Championships that just ended was Friday. The national team, in the women's water polo final, and Hugo González, in the final of the 200 backstroke. How to miss it? Apparently, either way.

The defeat against the Netherlands by Miki Oca's team barely accumulated 40,000 viewers on La 2, less than the reruns of Who lives there? in La Sexta and the Hindt series in Cuatro. And González's seventh place was at 79,000 followers, far behind the audience for the Women's Tour, an England-Denmark Women's World Cup and the start of the Spanish Athletics Championship.

Everything that happens in the water is of no interest in Spain and it makes sense: there is a lack of medals, references, tradition and facilities. But… Why does the same thing happen in countries that dominate swimming? At the Fukuoka World Cup, World Swimming has met with the disinterest of the world. A difficult problem to solve.

It all started before the start of the championship. The BBC decided not to pay for the live broadcast rights of the World Cup and kept some summaries that it broadcast in the afternoons. It was paradigmatic. The British public channel usually turns to the Olympics and had been showing the World Cup live since 1991. His absence was a sign of decline, but when the competition started there was more evidence.

The American NBC, the most important television in the Olympic universe, suffered horrific numbers. In most sessions of the World Cup, it did not reach 200,000 viewers, the minimum figure for the television audience to be recorded in the US.. Swimming, a college sport there, has never followed the trail of American football, baseball, basketball, motorsports, golf, tennis or soccer, but it's odd that it trails the newly created American rugby league. or the Westminster Dog Show, a dog show that is held in Flushing Meadows and whose last edition was won by a very cute Basset Griffon Vendean.

The absences, key

The reasons are many. The Fukuoka schedule hurt the fans of the United States -the finals were at eight in the morning- and hindered the European fans, but it was not the only thing. Since the retirement of Michael Phelps in 2016, swimming has been in search of a benchmark and the candidates for it, such as Caeleb Dressel, are lost in trouble. Katie Ledecky's hits were the only incentive for the Yankee audience while the British celebrated the emergence of Matt Richards.

The World Cup only had a pull in Australia, which enjoyed the finals in prime time and added up to 13 golds, the best championship in its history. Not even in France, with the rise of Leon Marchand, did swimming exceed 100,000 viewers, cornered on France 4, a France Télévisions channel where cartoons are usually broadcast.

The one who was in the most hurry to collect the belongings in Spa, as a pre-holiday ritual, was Max Verstappen, who crossed the finish line well in advance and caught the organizers with a different step. The traditional fireworks show was delayed excessively, although this detail went unnoticed at Red Bull, with everything ready for the party photo in front of their garage. And for the second consecutive race, after the embarrassing episode in Hungary, one of the trophies shattered on the ground.. When Helmut Marko was asked about a driver capable of overshadowing his leader, the Austrian pointed to Fernando Alonso: “Perhaps only he could, although even with the same car he would also have a difficult time”.

Those statements were enough to add gasoline to an unsubstantiated rumor that was already flying over the overcast sky of Spa. The umpteenth, over the last decade, that links Alonso with Red Bull. Obviously, not even the English journalists, who are legion every weekend, gave any credit to the author of the hoax. “He is a specialist in bullshit”, was heard by the press room of the Belgian circuit.

Much more reliable was the information from the Sky Germany reporter who had seen Otmar Szafnauer enter the Aston Martin hospitality. When he was finally able to approach Alonso's former boss, he escaped with a mysterious gesture: “As you can see, my adventure in Alpine has just ended and from now on I can sign for a new team. We'll see…”. At that moment, obviously, the journalist stressed that they had surprised her hanging around Lawrence Stroll's domain. “I will not comment,” Szafnauer finished, almost smacking his lips.

rear wing

The Romanian-American executive, no longer wearing the distinctive blue of the French team, caught many eyes at the end of Sunday. After getting fed up with saying that Alpine had not given him those 100 races he needed, he slipped that his new position will be “important” and that, this time, they will allow him to change what he deems appropriate.. Alan Permane, who was also saying goodbye after 34 seasons at Enstone, fortunately went much more unnoticed.

After the traumatic break with Alpine, which is now one year old, no one in the paddock sees Alonso sharing a garage with Szafnauer again. Not even in a role subordinate to Mike Krack, the current main team, who in four months has earned a reputation as a solid man, capable of assuming his mistakes. Like the confusion unleashed at the Silverstone factory after Alonso's amazing pace in Montreal.

This weekend Krack arrived in the Ardennes with a different configuration on his lower rear wings and decided to install it on Alonso's car.. The 44 laps to Spa could be very long between the Mercedes, but the Spaniard, despite his ugly mistake on Saturday, took the helm again with verve.

Szafnauer, on Sunday, in the 'paddock' of Spa. EFE

Thanks to the advantage in the first sector, based on the Eau Rouge climb and the Kemmel straight, he could hold off his rivals in the intermediate section. To this we had to add the good treatment of the tires, whose degradation was able to limit up to the levels of the beginning of the season. An undoubted merit if we take into account the opinion of his partner. “I never found balance in the car, which also ate the tires,” admitted Lance Stroll.

There are already 102 points that separate the Aston Martin drivers, although Alonso only has one margin over Lewis Hamilton. The fight against his old nemesis will be one of the incentives until the end of the year. Of course, no one wants to give an inch, although perhaps only Alonso can notice the smallest detail. This was made clear in one of his radio messages in Spa. “On the penultimate lap his taillights came on. I'm sure he was charging for the fastest lap, but I don't know if they allow us that engine map during the race,” he commented.