Ryadah Sports Committee eyes Arab-Brazilian partnerships

SAO PAULO: Launched last year during an economic forum that gathered Brazil and Arab nations, the Ryadah Sports Committee recently announced its plan to incentivize partnerships between the South American country and Middle Eastern sports businesses.

The group was created by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce — known as CCAB in Portuguese — a few months before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when relations between the Brazilian sports industry and Gulf nations were greatly strengthened.

Not only did athletes and tourists from Brazil have a chance to visit the Middle East, but hundreds of Brazilians worked directly and indirectly in the organization of the event and in tourism opportunities connected to it, instigating a growing cultural and economic exchange.

Headed by mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira — whose chain of martial arts gyms includes a branch in Dubai — Ryadah gathers former football managers who worked in the Middle East, athletes, and administrators of different sports.

According to lawyer and sports consultant Pedro Trengrouse, who is the committee’s general coordinator, the idea is to promote joint initiatives between Arabs and Brazilians in order to develop not only the sports industry, but also “several other segments that can benefit from sports’ soft power.”

One of the obvious targets is football. In 2021, the Brazilian Congress passed a law that allows football clubs, which have traditionally been non-profit civic associations, to become companies. This way, they can be partially or totally sold to other companies or investors.

“There are huge opportunities now. Arab nations have been investing in football all over the world,” Trengrouse said.

“Brazil is the land of