Investment In Soccer

Roger Bennett and Tommy Vietor take a look at the history of Saudi Arabia, US-Saudi relations, and the Kingdom’s path to becoming a geopolitical force. They trace the unlikely rise of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman from a lowly place in the royal hierarchy to de facto leader of the country, and examine his record of enacting major social reforms while brutally cracking down on critics and rivals. Guests Ben Hubbard, Sarah Leah Whitson, and Khalid Al Jabri provide insight through stories about the infamous lock-up at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the disappearance of even the family members of MBS’ political rivals. And finally, they unpack what MBS’ massive investment into soccer means for the global game. Listen to the second episode of this four-part series to find out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alexi and Mosse open the show with the scary moment in EURO 2020 that saw Denmark’s Christian Eriksen suffer a cardiac arrest on the field, Patrick Schrick’s amazing goal, and break down performances from Belgium, Italy, England, and Spain (11:03). The guys then talk Copa America, Messi’s and Neymar’s performances, the gap between Brazil and Argentina, Tite, Eduardo Vargas international play over club, and Colombia’s hopes (28:26). They discuss USWNT’s 4-0 win over Jamaica, the road to the Olympics, and if the roster should include Carly Lloyd (39:03). In #AskAlexi, fans ask the guys about their journey in the sports media business, playing soccer for fun, and the best PK taker and stoppers (54:19). Finally, Alexi caps the show with his “One for the Road,” where he embraces Jamie Vardy’s newest investment in US Soccer with the Rochester Rhinos (1:13:27). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices