{"product_id":"engulfed-how-saudi-arabia-bought-sport-and-the-world-softback","title":"Engulfed – How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World – Softback","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 2034, Saudi Arabia will host the men's FIFA World Cup and mark the culmination of Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious plan to modernise Saudi Arabia, a kingdom of unfathomable wealth at the heart of the Islamic world, which is only now emerging from nearly a century of self-isolation. How did we get here? Why would a country spend tens of billions of dollars, perhaps even hundreds of billions in the long run, to buy and control sport?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEngulfed is a story about ambition, family rivalries, extreme wealth, power, murder and disinformation. It is also the story of dictatorship, political corruption and, at its root, how sport – football, yes, but also golf, boxing and even e-sports – became a vital geopolitical tool for Saudi Arabia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on Montague's exclusive first-hand interviews from his extensive travels across Saudi Arabia, the US, the north-east of England, Spain, Turkey and beyond, \u003cem\u003eEngulfed\u003c\/em\u003e uncovers how the House of Saud zeroed in on the political power of sport, using it both as a powerful political tool of influence and as a way to rectify the PR damage caused by one of the most infamous assassinations in history: the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This updated and revised edition published in 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 129mm x 198mm – 336 pages.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soccer Books Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57780980154750,"sku":"9781785121616","price":11.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/0546\/6903\/files\/EngulfedSaudiArabiaSB.jpg?v=1785660551","url":"https:\/\/soccer-books.co.uk\/en-us\/products\/engulfed-how-saudi-arabia-bought-sport-and-the-world-softback","provider":"Soccer Books Limited","version":"1.0","type":"link"}