Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Amnesty International (Amnesty) said that Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo should shed light on human rights issues in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, during his playing time at Al-Nasr Club.
In a press release issued by the organization specialized in human rights monitoring, Dana Ahmed, Middle East affairs researcher at the organization, said, “The signing of Al-Nasr Club with Cristiano Ronaldo is consistent with a broader pattern of image polishing through sports in Saudi Arabia. Sports polishing is the phenomenon of reputation polishing.” through sports.”
“It is very likely that the authorities will promote Ronaldo’s presence in the country as a way to divert attention from the country’s appalling human rights record. Instead of uncritically praising Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo should use his large public media platform to draw attention to human rights issues in the country,” she added.
And she continued, “Cristiano Ronaldo must not allow his fame and popularity to become a tool for Saudi sports polishing, and he must use his time in victory to speak publicly about the countless human rights issues in the country.”
According to Saudi state-owned media, Ronaldo will earn an estimated $200 million annually with Al-Nassr.
Amnesty International’s statement came in response to the comments made by the Portuguese star when introducing the Riyadh-based team on Monday, saying: “I want to present a different vision for this club and country, and that is why I took this opportunity.”
CNN reached out to the Saudi Ministry of Sports, the Saudi Football Association and the Saudi Professional League for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. Ronaldo’s representatives also declined to comment.
