RIYADH, 13 March 2008 — As part of a series of activities on the sidelines of the German Culture Week in Riyadh, a group of book authors from the European country played a friendly game of football against a team of Saudi journalists at the Al-Shabab Club here on Tuesday.
The match ended in the Saudi side winning 5-1.
“We expected an easy game but quickly found out that younger people always have the power to beat,” said Ralf Bönt, a German fiction writer and physicist, referring to the Saudi side.
The visiting side was coached by leading German coach Hans Meyer whose team — 1. FC Nürnber — had recently won the DFB-Pokal, the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga championship.
Bönt said that the mixing of sport and literature is a novel idea for many Saudis, who seldom see intellectuals participating in such activities — something that happens frequently in Europe. He added that sport could contribute toward an exchange of culture.
“Both Saudis and Germans are known for their passion for soccer, which could be a key mode of communication between writers who don’t speak each other’s language,” he said.
Norbert Kron, a television journalist on his first visit to the Kingdom, said, “Meeting Saudi writers, journalists, editors and creative artists — as well as Saudi ambassadors and officials — is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the people and culture here.”
The team also visited the ongoing annual Riyadh International Book Fair.
He added, “We are very glad to start the cultural project in Saudi Arabia and that took place on the occasion of the Riyadh Book Fair.”
