Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-year contract in a deal worth €200m per year with commercial benefits included.
Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International has urged football star Cristiano Ronaldo to speak out about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-year contract in a deal worth €200m per year with commercial benefits included.
The 37-year-old Portugal captain was a free agent after leaving Manchester United following a controversial interview in which he criticised the club.
Al Nassr, nine-time Saudi Pro League champions, described the signing of former Real Madrid star as “history in the making”.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Ronaldo told reporters: “I had many opportunities … Many clubs tried to sign me but I gave my word to this club to develop not only the football but other parts of this amazing country.
“I want to give a different vision of this club and country. This is why I took this opportunity.”
However, Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International’s Middle East researcher, in a statement published on the organisation’s website on Wednesday, said Ronaldo should use his platform to raise concern over cases of human rights abuses that took place in Saudi Arabia.
He said, “Al-Nassr’s signing of Cristiano Ronaldo fits into a wider pattern of sportswashing in Saudi Arabia.
“It is highly likely that the Saudi authorities will promote Ronaldo’s presence in the country as a means of distracting from the country’s appalling human rights record.
“Instead of offering uncritical praise of Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo should use his considerable public platform to draw attention to human rights issues in the country.
“Saudi Arabia regularly executes people for crimes including murder, rape and drug smuggling.
“On a single day last year, 81 people were put to death, many of whom were tried in grossly unfair trials.
“The authorities are also continuing their crackdown on freedom of expression and association, with heavy prison sentences handed down to human rights defenders, women’s rights activists and other political activists.
“Cristiano Ronaldo shouldn’t allow his fame and celebrity status to become a tool of Saudi sportswashing - he should use his time at Al-Nassr to speak out about the myriad human rights issues in the country.”