Starting Friday, Viaplay will broadcast Saudi Arabia’s top-flight soccer matches. The company understands the backlash that may arise.

– Even if we broadcast the league, this does not mean that we automatically agree with everything that Saudi Arabia stands for politically or morally, Viaplay sports manager Kristian Oma told VG.

The agreement is valid until spring.

– There is no doubt that there is a lot of talk about it, and there are big stars who have proven to be good at playing football in this league. But whether the match with Neymar, Ronaldo and Benzema is interesting enough is up to the audience to judge, Oma said.

VG collaborates with Viaplay on sports clips and will feature match highlights on its website.

The newspaper asked Oma whether Viaplay contributed to sportswashing.

– We didn’t expect it to generate a lot of interest, but it’s an interesting offer for some people. We’re not forcing this on anyone. And the audience is ruthless too – they choose what they want to see, Oma said.

Human rights organization Amnesty noted the news of Viaplay’s latest rights purchase.

– In general, the media should be aware that authorities in some countries, including Saudi Arabia, invest in sports as part of a larger political strategy aimed at strengthening the reputation and influence of the authorities, wrote Frank Conde Tangberg in a message to NRK.

He is an advisor at Amnesty Norway.

– Therefore, we encourage the media to cover human rights issues as well, so that it is in context, Tangberg added. (NTB/NRK)