James Montague

Crystal Palace officially appeal to CAS pushing to be reinstated into Europa League at the expense of either Nottingham Forest (who were bumped up to replace them by UEFA) or John Textor’s other team, Lyon.

The Athletic FC Podcast: At what cost? Saudi Arabia and soccer There's been two football tournaments in the United States this summer, the Club World Cup and the Gold Cup. Both with an ostensible Saudi feel, all part of grand plan to invest heavily in sport ba...

Also includes Saudi international & Al Hilal opinions inc fans, Engulfed author @jamespiotr.bsky.social “everyone has their price”, analysis of Trump/US geo-political relations, @kristianulrichsen.bsky.social on Middle East instability impact & much more

pod.fo/e/2f6765

Thanks to both the @esportsworldcup.bsky.social and @jamespiotr.bsky.social for contributing to this week’s Memo, which I think is well worth a read

Very exciting to get the first hard copy of MORE THAN A SHIRT: HOW FOOTBALL SHIRTS EXPLAIN GLOBAL POLITICS, MONEY AND POWER. Out June 19!

Nazis especially visible in my part of Berlin at the moment. Shaven heads and Helly Hansen tracksuit tops (HH for Heil Hitler); Ellesse tracksuit tops (worn so they can show off the SS symbol). It’s wild how in some German towns this is as natural a part of youth culture as hip-hop is in the US.

A letter from Philippe Auclair - josimarfootball.com The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise € 50k by 1 July, the world's only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist.

A message from @philippeauclair.bsky.social

The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise 50 000 euro by 1 July, the world’s only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist.

josimarfootball.com/2025/06/03/a...

This is an extract from my new book “Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World”, out now with @blinkbooks.bsky.social

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

This is an extract from my new book “Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World”, out now with @blinkbooks.bsky.social

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

Visiting NEOM, the new Saudi superclub built to rule all others before the 2034 World Cup James Montague visited the kingdom to find out more about a club being geared up to take on the world

Last yr I turned on the TV in my Riyadh hotel. A Saudi 3rd div game was on & a team called NEOM was playing. It sparked a journey that uncovered a plan to build the biggest club in the world from scratch.

An extract from my book “Engulfed”: @theathletic.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/632...

NEW with @simonkuper.bsky.social:

The prevailing narrative around increased injuries and player workload in elite football is wrong.

Players don’t play any more football than in the past. What has changed is a sharp rise in intensity of play.

Not more minutes, but each minute exerts more load.

BBC News: Surgeon invents plastic-reducing urine collection pot Caption: Urologist Nick Burns-Cox from Somerset Hospitals NHS Trust and his team

Nominative determinism hard at work on this one.

It's lunchtime and we have already been kicked out of the FIFA hotel.

Meanwhile, 5000 security personnel, including the army and tanks, have been deployed in Asunción to safeguard the 'football family'.

All totally normal.

Leon’s appeal against being booted out of Club World Cup for having same owners as Pachuca has failed. So FIFA’s plan for Club America to play off against LA FC will now determine 32nd team. That place should be LA’s but Club America is popular and FIFA needs to shift tickets to the meritocratic CWC

Thank you!

İBB'ye yeni operasyon: İSKİ Genel Müdürü dahil 47 kişi gözaltında Polis ekipleri sabah saatlerinde İstanbul, Ankara ve Tekirdağ'da çok sayıda adrese eş zamanlı baskınlar düzenledi. İBB'de üst düzey yöneticilerin de aralarında bulunduğu gözaltı kararı verilen 53 kişi...

Happening in Turkey: Saturday morning wave of police operations against politicians and officials, tens of people have been detained in Istanbul, Ankara and Tekirdağ in Western Turkey tr.euronews.com/2025/04/26/i...

YouTube video by WIRED How Governments Spy On Protestors—And How To Avoid It | Incognito Mode | WIRED

NEW: In the latest episode of the YouTube series I host, @lhn.bsky.social joins me to get into the nitty gritty of surveillance against protesters and steps you can take to protect yourself: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL34...

Thank you Andreas!

«Slukt av Saudi-Arabia» - Idrettspolitikk BOKANMELDELSE: Den anerkjente og prisvinnende journalisten James Montague har skrevet en svært god og viktige bok om Saudi-Arabias erobring av idretten. Den er opplysende skremmende og gir et unikt in...

Litt lavbluss her for tiden (noe jeg kommer tilbake til), men jeg har i hvert fall lest en bok, som jeg anbefaler på det sterkeste. Den er det @jamespiotr.bsky.social som har før til pennen. idrettspolitikk.no/2025/04/15/s...

YouTube video by Tifo Podcast Why Saudi Arabia is buying sport

Late to this, but glad to see @jamespiotr.bsky.social fighting the good fight, explaining the why & how of Saudi money in sport. (note: it's a source of unending wonder to me that in 2025 it's genuinely necessary to explain wahhabism in a sports podcast). www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AMa...

YouTube video by Tifo Sports by The Athletic How Saudi Arabia Bought Golf

The Masters are on, but there's a hidden contest: LIV Golf v the PGA Tour.

Here's a video from my new book for Tifo Sports, about the Saudi golf takeover & the resulting uncivil war.

Feat: the PIF, McIlroy, Mickelson going rogue, Woods, a $850m deal plus Donald Trump.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=3wh8...

In the pub Marx once lived!

Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World : Montague, James: Amazon.co.uk: Books

I write about LIV Golf and the Saudi takeover of sport - everything from football to snooker to boxing - in “Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World”.

Out now with @blinkbooks.bsky.social

www.amazon.co.uk/Engulfed-Sau...

YouTube video by Tifo Sports by The Athletic How Saudi Arabia Bought Golf

The Masters are on, but there's a hidden contest: LIV Golf v the PGA Tour.

Here's a video from my new book for Tifo Sports, about the Saudi golf takeover & the resulting uncivil war.

Feat: the PIF, McIlroy, Mickelson going rogue, Woods, a $850m deal plus Donald Trump.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=3wh8...

Did Saudi Arabia Buy Sport? Soft Power, Newcastle and Jimmy Hill! | It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast The football history podcast, brought to you by The Overlap

@jamespiotr.bsky.social gives unique insights on the history of Saudi football, the Vision 2030 project, and how Newcastle United's takeover fits into the larger picture.

shows.acast.com/it-was-what-...

Another very enjoyable visit to @bookcornershop.bsky.social in Saltburn. Looking forward to reading these two new books from @danielgraywriter.bsky.social and @jamespiotr.bsky.social

Cheers Shaun!

Opinion | I am Erdogan’s Main Challenger in Turkey. I Was Arrested. President Erdogan of Turkey has jailed me because he knows he cannot beat me in an election.

📰Sunday extras:

"I Am the Turkish President’s Main Challenger. I Was Arrested." by @ekrem-imamoglu.bsky.social. [1/10]

Wow!

James Montague is back to discuss his new book about the astonishing scale and scope of Saudi Arabia’s sports investment and the unlikely rise to power of its instigator, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

@jamespiotr.bsky.social

secondcaptains.com/2025/03/28/e...

The arrested Mayor of Istanbul's lawyer has now also been detained by police