Let's talk Turki: Initial reflections on Saudi's link with Derby County takeover

Originally published to Patreon on 28 May 2026

A few weeks ago, friends from the League of Gentlefolk messaged me via our WhatsApp group to let me know that I had an unusually high-profile new follower on X.

It seemed that a notable figure from the world of sport and online gaming had suddenly, out of nowhere, decided to follow me, along with a bunch of accounts affiliated specifically with Derby County.

This generated a lot of noise. Indeed, I soon received a text from BBC Radio Derby, who wondered if I would be able to go on air that night to talk about this breaking news. My answer was 'no', because as far as I was concerned, there was no actual story to talk about yet - or not one that I would be comfortable discussing with the Derbyshire public at such short notice, at least. Because two phrases had immediately crossed my mind, and neither of them were positive. The first was 'human rights abuses', the second was 'sportswashing'.

Sure enough, a quick Google of my new follower's name led me to a disconcerting Wikipedia section detailing a series of serious allegations against him. I then read a full-length profile of Turki Al-Sheikh (or Al-Alshikh), which had been published by The Athletic's Jacob Whitehead in April 2025. I fully recommend reading that article more than once, to absorb it in full.

To be honest, I hoped that nothing would come of Turki's bout of following, and that the furore would just melt away. He had, it seemed, expressed an interest in Bristol City late last year, without anything serious developing. In the League chat, a friend suggested that I might want to message His Excellency on X, to ask more about his sudden interest in Derby. So I did, assuming that my DM would never even be looked at by this confidant of the Saudi Crown Prince himself, Mohammed bin Salman.

Later that day, I heard from a contact with knowledge of the Middle East that Turki is one of only a handful of people who are allowed to play the online game League of Legends with the all-powerful 'MBS'. A very modern kind of status symbol, but there it is.

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