Inter Milan has now been granted an investment license from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment (MISA) making the Italian club the first international football club to have secured the license. This business license in Saudi Arabia allows Inter Milan to formally start its operations in Saudi Arabia where it seeks to increase its reach and the fan base in the kingdom and also boost the kingdom sports industry. Similarly, for both Inter Milan and Saudi Arabia, is this kind of development of football and cultural intertwining precisely with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 is a development strategy paper that identifies sectors such as sports as strategic areas for the economy to expand the Kingdom’s economy while at the same time promoting a healthy lifestyle. This vision is evident by Inter Milan’s recent sign of interest to setup operations in the region to advance football culture and contribute to talent and development within the region as well as strengthening the bond with Saudi sport enthusiasts. This aligns with Inter Milan’s corporate CEO, Alessandro Antonello who noted stating that, “This license means the club has an obligation to bring value to Saudi Arabia through active participation in the development of the country’s sporting industry, and to engage local companies in the global Inter network”. The announcement was made during a separate occasion held at MISA’s headquarters in Riyadh and was presided over by Inter Milan’s Vice President Javier Zanetti, the Club’s Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Antonello, and Chief Revenue Officer, Luca Danovaro.
Inter Milan has various plans to set its foundation in Saudi Arabia, which consists of Inter Academies for youth and Women’s Development. Thus, the club plans to open its academies across the Saudi Arabia in order to act as a scout for the new generation of Saudi football players, while providing them with knowledge and experience of club. The academies will enable young Saudi’s to sharpen their skills under the supervision of trainers and share with some of Inter Milan’s ‘legends’ who are to visit occasional local events in order to meet some of the fans. For Saudi football fans, these meetings makes the spirit of Italian football something they are naturally more familiar with, creating a connection between Italian football culture and sports business in Saudi Arabia.
Of much importance is this partnership because it comes at a time that Saudi Arabia has been pushing for the improvement of women’s sporting activities. Inter Milan plans to establish academies for the female athletes in Saudi Arabia where they will be offered the platform to sparkle, owing to the Saudi Arabian’s government’s new era reformations which also include the Saudi Arabian empowerment initiatives. Therefore, any involvement of Inter Milan, especially in area like gender diversity in, this sports, is a reflection of the wider change agendas that this club is involving itself in change that will make this partnership a positive impact on this region.
Inter Milan’s strategic decision to invest through a partnership with Saudi Arabia also suits the kingdom’s rising role as a global sports destination. European soccer giant Inter Milan’s connection to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is just another form of growing sports ties as the kingdom is set to host the Italian Super Cup and other international soccer tournaments. For Saudi Arabia, this partnership reflects the country’s ambition to become a hub of sport excellence for worldwide talent to come expand and develop the sporting culture suitable for the native inhabitants and visitors.
While Inter Milan plots to build top-tier relations efficiently in Saudi Arabia, this friendship doesn’t signify just a business expansion but a way forward to building a reciprocal respect and cross-cultural exchanges and development. This unprecedented granting commercial license in Saudi Arabia to Inter Milan can prove beneficial in a positive way for Saudi Arabia’s tapestry of sports by adding value for licensed local business ventures, fans, and young talents who wish to achieve their dreams. Less than a decade, football has become part of diplomacy, with Inter Milan’s partnership with Saudi Arabia showing that football has a way of making the world come together for the better.
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