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The Footballer, the Saudi Prince and the Proposition

Fascinating story!

The Grand Hotel, Cannes, 1976. On a hot summer night, a rich Saudi prince (Abdullah) and a footballer (Eamonn) stand in a lift. The prince propositions the footballer.

"I've been meaning to tell you something," says Abdullah. He puts his hand on Eamonn's shoulder. "I am finding that I love you."

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by Anonymousreply 20April 15, 2019 12:20 PM

I wonder how often this retaliation has happened (and still happens) to women?

by Anonymousreply 1April 14, 2019 12:52 PM

Weirdly Jimmy Hill's entry in Wikipedia (Eng) does not mention his major role in Saudi football at all.

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by Anonymousreply 2April 14, 2019 1:07 PM

“Apart from his love of football, not much is known about the prince.”

by Anonymousreply 3April 14, 2019 1:20 PM

I’m sure countless other young footballers acquiesced to the Prince. He probably had a harem of young studs at his disposal.

by Anonymousreply 4April 14, 2019 1:34 PM

He’s not a bad looking guy.

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by Anonymousreply 5April 14, 2019 1:58 PM

Arab sizemeat is large and they are all total tops!

by Anonymousreply 6April 14, 2019 2:36 PM

This Prince doesn’t strike me as a top. Seems like the type who was thirsty to drop to his knees for ol’ Eamonn right after a game, while he still wore his soccer kit.

by Anonymousreply 7April 14, 2019 3:07 PM

The prince looks very creepy and scary in the pic of them at the Barracuda in OP's link.

by Anonymousreply 8April 14, 2019 3:17 PM

Ahh I feel bad for these gays born into these societies that force them to be closeted -- I mean I don't feel bad for this prince for a lot of things because he was rich beyond imagination and probably was able to sequester off plenty of gay sex for himself away from prying eyes. But I wouldn't give up my life with my husband, the love we get to live in public, for all that money

by Anonymousreply 9April 14, 2019 3:21 PM

Here's another version, from 2015. I'm not sure why the BBC are dishing this stuff up now.

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by Anonymousreply 10April 14, 2019 3:55 PM

Honestly this story plays out every day in countries everywhere. When I lived in Asia, I saw it happen to my friends all the time. They would get too close to an older man or woman who provided them with unfamiliar luxuries. There were always strings attached. It was obvious to everyone what was going on but people want to believe the flattery. And honestly a lot of times the flatterer is a sympathetic character in one way or another.

The fact that the coach thought the player was too close to the prince says a lot. The player was probably too young to listen to advice to be careful.

by Anonymousreply 11April 14, 2019 4:16 PM

Getting money from an older man is far, far different than Eamonn’s situation. The prince easily could’ve had him killed. He’s lucky that he got out of there alive. God knows how many young Saudi men “disappeared” at the hands of that prince.

by Anonymousreply 12April 14, 2019 5:04 PM

There’s also countless other foreign ballers who were too scared to refuse his advances. Or couldn’t escape without submitting to him first, only then being approved to return home.

by Anonymousreply 13April 14, 2019 5:10 PM

I'm glad he made it out alive, what a scary situation.

by Anonymousreply 14April 14, 2019 5:29 PM

I don’t think many foreign footballers played in Saudi Arabia at that time, r13.

by Anonymousreply 15April 14, 2019 5:31 PM

Part of this story has a homophobic/racist slant to it.

“A rich prince falls in love with a poor and beautiful young girl with a heart of gold.”

It’s a fairy tale if it’s a man and a woman, but if it’s a man who falls for another man, he’s a sex pest trying to use his power and influence to trying to sexually abuse an innocent young hetero footballer.

Obviously there are other variables at play here that made this situation dangerous for this guy, but who is to say that this prince, after spending time with him, didn’t indeed fall in love with this young man—and was awkwardly trying to express it? I’m not justifying it, because I am sure it was clear he was straight. But I bet most of us have been in situations where we fell hard for someone we could never have because they were straight, and we might have even made a clumsy pass or expressed how we felt to that person. Did that mean we were evil monsters that were only interested in sexual conquest? Or was it more than that?

We also have to appreciate that this prince took a considerable risk expressing his feelings given his own cultural reality. Many of us also remember growing up in rural areas during that time. Expressing your feelings for someone if the same sex and having that person respond with violence (or turning it into vile gossip) could be incredibly dangerous.

Once again, I can appreciate the reality of this particular situation is different, and it’s an interesting story, but it feels like it’s exploiting a well liked public narrative where the white upstanding hetero family man is almost victimized by two popular boogeymen, the fag and the foreigner.

by Anonymousreply 16April 14, 2019 6:50 PM

Give me a break. The man was a predator.

by Anonymousreply 17April 14, 2019 11:03 PM

My friend who worked for a company in Saudi Arabia says that princes are a dime a dozen and they’re all gay.

My friend got thrown out of the country because his gay (American) roommate had an affair with such a Prince and the prince wanted to be sure all the witnesses were gone once the affair was over

by Anonymousreply 18April 14, 2019 11:14 PM

R18 what about the roommate?

by Anonymousreply 19April 15, 2019 12:03 PM

This affair occurred in 1976. In 1976 even the ELDEST of ELDERGAYS was young back then.

by Anonymousreply 20April 15, 2019 12:20 PM
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