Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World

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Description

Engulfed tells the incredible story of how a ruthless, absolute monarchy used sport to cover up its many crimes whilst at the same time buying off an easily persuaded and equally as culpable class of politicians and businesspeople in the west.

This is a story about ambition, family rivalries, extreme wealth, power, murder and disinformation; of political corruption, dictatorship and, at its root, of how sport - football, yes, but also golf, boxing, tennis and even e-sports - has become a vital geopolitical tool for Saudi Arabia. An examination of soft power, manipulation and radicalisation in the 21st century, James Montague charts the rise of Mohammed bin Salman, a then unknown prince, and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; the desperate efforts to buy Newcastle United, subvert FIFA and then take on the PGA tour, and the US congress.

In forensic detail, Engulfed uncovers how the House of Saud zeroed in on the political power of sport to save itself from the PR damage caused by one of the most infamous assassinations in history. It examines how they have bet on sport's, and especially football's, extreme polarisation, using it to radicalise whole cities and fanbases, and subvert democratic institutions for faraway political ends. It's the story of a plot to use sport to wash away the stains of a crime and how a compliant west was easily bought, and sold, in the process.

Author Bio

James Montague is an award-winning author and journalist from Chelmsford, Essex, who has reported regularly for the New York Times, BBC World Service, Bleacher Report, CNN, GQ, the Guardian and Delayed Gratification, amongst others, from over 100 different countries and unrecognised territories. He currently lives in Istanbul.

He is the author of four highly-praised football books including Thirty One Nil: On the Road With Football's Outsiders (Bloomsbury) and The Billionaires Club: The Unstoppable Rise of Football's Super-Rich Owners (Bloomsbury) both of which won Football Book of the Year at the British Sports Book of the Year Awards. His work has been translated into German, Polish, Japanese, Farsi, Hungarian, Italian and Turkish.