The supremely wealthy Saudis don’t need any lessons in the power of money. A few hundred million dollars spent on footballing gods with a global profile and millions of followers on social media is money well spent for a regime that is trying to change its image on the world stage. It wants to be seen as a tourist and sporting destination, a country where Messi, Ronaldo and co are happy to play, helping turn international attention away from its abysmal human rights record.

Sportwashing is the term commonly used to describe this cynical strategy — and the Saudis are deploying it to great effect in sports from soccer and boxing to motor racing. The Saudi-backed LIV tour has split the world of golf by poaching top players including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. This week, LIV announced a merger with the PGA Tour. Donald Trump is delighted. “A BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND GLAMOROUS DEAL FOR THE WORLD OF GOLF, CONGRATS TO ALL!!!,” he wrote. But many golf fans are horrified by this Saudi blood money takeover, which shows, yet again, that money is all that matters in sports. The good guys in golf, like Rory McIlroy, who turned down a fortune to join LIV golf, have been left high and dry.