Carlo Baldocci interview: “Football unites Italy and Arabia”

One of Arrigo Sacchi’s cult phrases must have also reached the Saudis: “Football is the most important thing among the least important things.” Three years ago King Salman proclaimed a national holiday so that everyone could celebrate Saudi Arabia’s victory against Argentina in the World Cup. Now football attracts more and more champions and well-known faces, including Italian ones, given that the Super Cup has reached its sixth participation in the desert. Five times in Riyadh, once in Jeddah. “League matches now fill very modern stadiums and Saudi social networks become a huge digital square. Football is an engine of national pride.” Words from Carlo Baldocci, 59 years old, Italian Ambassador to Riyadh since 2024 and passionate about football since he was a boy: “I played among the Giovanissimi and Allievi in ​​Fortitudo, then I stopped. But the love for the game remained”. We meet him at Al-Awwall Park before Bologna-Inter. He told us the value of Saudi football from another perspective.

Ambassador, what value does the Super Cup in Riyadh have for the two countries?

“It strengthens a consolidated bond. For Italy it represents the opportunity to bring one of its most prestigious competitions to a country where football is followed with passion, in a young, dynamic and profoundly changing market. For Saudi Arabia, hosting this event again confirms the growing centrality of the country in global sport. In recent years the Kingdom has invested in modern infrastructures, major international events and youth programs, making sport a tool for economic development, tourist attraction and cultural openness. Italy shows the strength of its football in a prestigious international setting, while Saudi Arabia consolidates its position as a global sports hub”.

How important is football for Saudis?

“A lot. It’s not just the most followed sport: it’s turning into an element of identity that spans generations, cities and social affiliations. The rivalries between clubs are rooted in the history of the country and mobilize extraordinary emotional involvement.”

And how is Italian football perceived here?

“It enjoys a particular prestige. Serie A is seen as one of the championships that have written the history of this sport and Saudi fans appreciate its technical depth, the sense of belonging of the clubs and the quality of the coaches. The Saudis see Italy as the homeland of football, a point of balance between history and modernity. It represents a precious capital”.

“We are valorising this capital through the growth of our sports cooperation. The Saudi passion for Italian football can and must also benefit the “Made in Italy” of the sports sector. Our country boasts companies of excellence in technical clothing, professional equipment, technology applied to sports, the design of facilities and sports architecture. In Saudi Arabia, where new infrastructures are being built and academies and sports centers are continually being created, these skills and these products find a natural market. This is also why we wanted to include a panel dedicated to the sports industry Culture and Sport within the Italy-Saudi Arabia Business Forum. Sport as a vehicle for economic diplomacy”.

Milan-Como will be played in Perth. Could Saudi Arabia also host a Serie A match in the future?

“The relations between Italian football and Saudi football are increasingly solid, the public is interested and the quality of the infrastructure allows for the hosting of large events. All this suggests that the ground would be fertile for an event of this type to take place in Saudi Arabia.”

So can Italy become a point of reference?

“Absolutely yes. We have a recognized tradition in the training of technicians, in the management of nurseries, in preparation and more. Saudi Arabia, at the same time, is investing decisively in academies, training centers and youth programs. The complementarity is evident: Italy can make available skills that find an ideal ground for growth here. Cooperation can concern coaches, managers, trainers, everyone”.

After Mancini, who landed in 2023 and left in 2024, Simone Inzaghi and Retegui arrived. What role can the presence of Italian coaches and players have in strengthening this sporting bond?

“Every time an Italian coach takes over the leadership of a club or the Saudi national team, a cultural bridge is created that brings the two fans closer together and enhances our football model. Inzaghi, like Mancini before him, brings here not only technical expertise, but also a professional culture that is appreciated and imitated. They are joined by the coach of the U23 national team Luigi Di Biagio, who, I remember, during the Entrepreneurial Forum of 25-26 November, was formally awarded the title of “Ambassador of Sports Diplomacy” by the Vice President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Tajani. This appointment was made so that football can give further strategic impetus to this relationship, encouraging exchanges, projects and initiatives that go beyond the pitch”. And what opportunities will emerge in cooperation between the two countries? “Italy meets in Saudi Arabia a partner who sees sport as a pillar of the country’s modernization, given its centrality in Vision 2030. In fact, on the occasion of Antonio Tajani’s visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed which envisages strengthening bilateral collaboration through exchanges of visits, promotional activities at sporting events, cooperation in the anti-doping sectors, inclusion-oriented initiatives, collaboration in the field of science and technology applied to sport, sports infrastructures and much more”.

Saudi football is now evolving.

“It is experiencing a profound transformation, driven by targeted investments, by the arrival of great players and coaches and by a strong involvement of the new generations. Sports participation has grown enormously, as has the female presence and the number of active clubs and federations. The impact is twofold: on the one hand the competitiveness of the national championship increases; on the other, the opportunities for cooperation with the rest of the world are expanding”.

What strikes you most about Arab culture?

“Hospitality. There is a care in putting the guest at ease, a spontaneous generosity that is perceived in everyday life. Society is harmonizing tradition and modernity. It is a complex, but interesting balance: it allows us to see a culture deeply rooted in its values ​​while confidently facing a historical transformation”.