“More than two million people from more than 160 countries will attend… a dramatic increase on the 926,000 from last year, when numbers were capped at one million following the Covid-19 pandemic. About 1.5 million pilgrims from abroad had already arrived by Wednesday evening. In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part. Only 10,000 were allowed in 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, rising to nearly 59,000 a year later.”
“We welcome the competition in many ways. And also how could we possibly be worried about other leagues coming along and doing what our clubs do all the time? Our clubs use their financial muscle to acquire talent from abroad and from within English football, so we can’t sit here and be worried or concerned about that.”
Richard Scudamore, former Premier League chief executive commenting at the height of the Chinese Super League phenomenon. [The Athletic]
“We are selective about the projects we work on, and we try to find projects that have a long-term positive impact. If your goal is to have a positive impact in a community and to improve lives and livelihoods, then public infrastructure is what you should be doing. And if you are doing infrastructure, where is a better place in the world to do that?”
-Jake Mumm, senior vice-president of Bechtel and country manager for Saudi Arabia. [MEED]
“Given the global ambiguity of the times, it should come as no surprise that pandemic fatigue and economic uncertainty — inflation, rising interest rates — were the two largest concerns for CEOs in Saudi Arabia and around the world in our latest survey…While it is unsurprising that the economic climate is a top concern for business leaders, they have learned to navigate the unpredictable by realigning their workforces, untangling supply chain disruptions and adapting to geopolitical and economic impacts over the last three years.”
-Abdullah Al-Fozan, chairman and CEO of KPMG in Saudi Arabia. A vast majority CEOs in Saudi Arabia are confident about the Kingdom’s economic growth over the next three years despite the prevalent inflationary pressures and geopolitical tensions, revealed a global survey by KPMG. [Arab News]
“We have players flooding the market with a huge number of planes, I just hope that they’re doing this right.”
-Akbar Al Baker, chief executive officer of Qatar Airways. In less than a year, the global aviation industry has gone from near annihilation to exuberant enthusiasm. Fleet groundings and huge losses have given way to massive profits, and airlines are outdoing one another with record orders. [Bloomberg]
“I would like to refer to the importance of cooperation between the two countries on regional security, especially the security of maritime navigation… and the importance of cooperation among all regional countries to ensure that it is free of weapons of mass destruction.”
-Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, peaking after talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran. Prince Faisal also said the Saudi king and crown prince are looking forward to Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi “accepting the invitation to visit the Kingdom soon, God willing.” [Reuters]
“Nowadays, we rarely see fathers who spend the majority of their time at work and see their children only on the weekends. My father, may Allah bless him, was like that. Back then fathers solely held the responsibility of being the main provider in the family, and they wanted to make sure that their kids have everything they need. I guess that was their way of love then.”
Hala Al-Subaie, a mother of two and an accountant. Role of Saudi fathers shifting as women join the workforce [Arab News]
“For some Muslim players approaching the twilight of their careers, and maybe with young families who move around with them, the opportunity to experience and live in a Muslim nation is an attraction.”
Mostafa Mohamed, an Egyptian journalist writing on sports and economics. , told Middle East Eye. Faith and fortune: Why are footballers going to Saudi Arabia? [Middle East Eye]
“Success is having an ecosystem that doesn’t require capital anymore – it grows on its own. Getting to the point where in any sector you can just be a passive shareholder, I think, is the ultimate goal.”
Jerry Todd, Managing Director, National Development Division, PIF. PIF wary of crowding out private sector [Arabian Gulf Business Insight]
“Saudi Arabia has the largest hotel construction activity in the Middle East and Africa region, followed by United Arab Emirates, according to hotel research firm STR. Saudi Arabia topped the regional list with 42,033 hotel rooms in March, followed by United Arab Emirates with 22,324 rooms.”
[Skift]
