– Did it go well? Emenalo, sports manager in the Saudi Arabian league, is asked that question by a colleague as they leave the room after the interview with Swedish SVT. Emenalo quickly replies: – No, it’s always about sports washing. Damn sports washing. And they have heard rumors that the players regret it, Emenalo replies, clearly upset by the interview. What he doesn’t know is that the sound goes straight out to SVT. Kalle Segerbäck is a photographer for SVT and hears via his own headphones that Emenalo’s microphone is still on. Soon afterwards, it is pointed out by Emenalo’s assistant that he is still on the microphone. Segerbäck hears this and then goes in to see Emenalo, who has moved to the next room. He points to the microphone still hanging on his collar. – Did they hear my insults?, Emenalo asks the assistant. – No, the assistant quickly replies. Michael Emenalo, here from his time at Chelsea. Photo: Afp Expect reactions – Yes, says Daniel Grefve to news. He is the reporter for the Swedish public broadcaster and did the interview with the Saudi summit. Together with the editors, he has decided that they will include the session in the documentary “Saudi Arabia – football’s new Mecca”, which was released on SVT on Tuesday morning. – I am prepared that we will hear from those down in Saudi Arabia that we have included this in the documentary, even though it was not part of the interview, he says to news and adds that they have not heard anything yet. – How do you defend it? – He is such a public figure with so much experience from this, that he should know that as long as the microphone is on him, it can be included in the recording. In addition, it is both interesting and relevant for us to document how the football leaders in Saudi Arabia internally talk about sports laundering, Grefve replies. Daniel Grefve. Photo: news Grefve is clear that if Emenalo had said something longer, the assessment would have been different, but that what he said was quite general. They were therefore clear that Emenlo’s “miss” should be included in the documentary. – This proves that the work we do in Scandinavia and Great Britain is to shed light on the problems in Saudi Arabia in fact reaches them and affects them. It says something about how tired they are of the questions, the fact that he addresses it immediately after an interview, adds the SVT journalist. Since Tuesday evening, news has offered the football association in Saudi Arabia to comment on the matter, but has not yet received a response. – One of the strangest things Grefve’s interview agreement with the sports manager was a large part of the reason why they traveled all the way from Sweden. Just before the interview, they were told that only two questions would be allowed. – Even then you notice that “this is special”. The reporter cannot remember having encountered anything similar before. – It is one of the strangest things I have come across in journalism. The actual questions before the microphone session, however, he felt were answered on “autopilot”. – He has been asked these questions before. It seemed quite rehearsed. He says exactly what he has to say. This is how he answered Emenlo answered the questions SVT asked during the short interview: – What do you think about the criticism the Saudi Arabian league receives in the European press regarding the concept of sports laundering? – We live in a world where people have the independence to be able to express what they think. I am not a politician. I’m no morality police. My job is to help this wonderful, ambitious project. I will help create a competitive and entertaining league that the people of Saudi Arabia can be proud of. – There have been reports from the British press that the stars who have come here regret the decision and are unhappy. Have you experienced this? – No. And if you were at the game last night (Al-Nassr with Cristiano Ronaldo), you didn’t see any indication that people were unhappy. As far as I know, our players are very happy with what is happening in the league, both local and international. Emenalo has also been an assistant under Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea. Photo: Ap Saudi Arabia will probably host the World Cup finals in men’s football in 2034. Only formalities remain before the award becomes official during the year. The oil country had no counter-candidates when the International Football Association (FIFA) set a deadline of just one month in a controversial application process in the autumn, writes NTB.
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– Did they hear my insults? – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
