On October 9, 2023, the British Esports Association announced a partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation. The signing of the agreement coincided with when the UK Department for Business and Trade was taking its first Esports Trade Mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
British Esports Association is the national body that oversees esports in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the Saudi Esports Federation is also a regulatory body that oversees the nurturing of elite gaming athletes and developing the gaming industry and community in the nation. The announcement emphasized that the collaboration will “set new standards of excellence, education, and innovation throughout the world of esports”.
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“Both esports federations have formally committed to working together to elevate esports to new heights under the agreement,” explained the press release. “The partnership’s key initiatives will encompass a wide range of projects, events, and activations designed to cultivate esports talent through immersive cultural exchange programs, internships, mentorship, boot camps, esports training programs, educational initiatives, and collaborative research projects.”
As part of the agreement, the federations will host home and away games that will feature the very best esports athletes in the UK and Saudi Arabia. These athletes are expected to compete at the National Esports Performance Campus and Sunderland and at Gamers8 sometime in 2024.
“Saudi Esports Federation is constantly evolving and creating new pathways for players to gain new experiences,” said the Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar bin Sultan. “By joining forces [with the British Esports Federation], I’m sure that we can create a platform that empowers players, cultivates innovation, and paves the way for a thriving esports industry in both nations and beyond.”
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The CEO of British Esports, Chester King, was also excited about the collaboration expected to build on the evolving esports landscape. Most importantly, King imagined how the collaboration would stamp the UK as one of the leading esports nations.
“As two of the world’s leading esports federations, our joint efforts will undoubtedly shape the future of the industry, providing incredible opportunities for esports athletes, professionals, and enthusiasts alike,” King said.
British Esports Association came under fire on social media
When British Esports shared the news on X social media platform, the comments that followed did not share the enthusiasm that the news tried to portray. Some of the comments questioned the collaboration based on moral grounds.
“I know they probably offered a bag but why?” wrote a user with the handle @ItsSlumpii. “You quite literally manage @WomenIn_Esports and this partnership directly contradicts everything it stands for. You cannot claim to be supportive of women & the lgbtq+ community and then do this.”
Saudi Arabia has a poor human rights record. The United States government website cited an Amnesty International report that showed 148 persons were executed in the first 11 months of 2022. In the month of March, 81 persons were executed in a single day, “the largest mass executions in years”, according to the report.
Also, the Human Dignity Trust said, “Saudi Arabia criminalizes same-sex sexual activity between men and between women… [and] the gender expression of trans people is also criminalized”. Those found guilty face the death penalty.
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These views directly contradict the values that the United Kingdom pushes to the world. It was on this premise that many people lashed out at British Esports. Scrolling down, I found some hilarious comments too. However, the one that stood out was from @skullsir.
“British Esports is thrilled to announce the millions we’re going to receive from the Saudi Esports Federation,” @skullsir wrote. “There. I fixed that headline for you, shameless organization”.
The criticism was so bad that it appeared British Esports had to hide some of the comments that could cause serious damage to the image of the organization. A user, @_Tridd, shared a screenshot of a comment that British Esports hid that seems to have been left by someone who managed teams in the organization’s Women in Esports tournaments.
British Esports replies to the criticism
A day after the uproar, British Esports posted a response to the criticism acknowledging the questions raised by the previous announcement. In the first paragraph of the response, British Esports made it clear that they have “not received any monetary contributions of any kind from [the] partnership with the Saudi Esports Federation”.
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British Esports mentioned the importance of inclusivity for the global growth of esports. The association said they plan to use the partnership to showcase the UK’s best practices and lead by example that will inspire others.
The association ended its lengthy response by pledging to continue being honest and transparent throughout the journey. British Esports also said they “encourage an open and constructive conversation”. However, it is hard to reconcile that if some comments were hidden from the collaboration announcement post.
By the way, do you think the partnership is great for esports or baseless? Do you think the backlash was justified or misplaced? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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