John Barnes has vented his fury, believing footballers are held to a different standard compared to other sports stars.
Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard have been widely criticised for choosing to pursue new challenges in Saudi Arabia over the past year.
Henderson has been particularly condemned, having been a strong ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
However, Barnes feels it's unfair and believes the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Joshua escape similar treatment.
John Barnes feels footballers are unfairly criticised compared to other sports stars
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Hamilton has raced in Saudi, while Joshua recently beat Otto Wallin in the Middle East.
Barnes thinks, however, that it's unfair to focus on footballers when so many other sports stars perform in Saudi.
"I have to ask why people are holding footballers to a different standard," he told Gambling Zone.
"We could question Lewis Hamilton's morals for racing there, Anthony Joshua's for boxing there, or tennis players for going to Qatar.
"We accept that Lewis Hamilton races in Saudi despite championing LGBT social causes and the Black Lives Matter movement.
"Nobody bats an eyelid, and I wonder why footballers are suddenly being scrutinised.
"Perhaps footballers shouldn't get involved in culture wars by pretending they care.
"A lot of people in the game talk about standing their ground on human rights issues, but when push comes to shove and they're offered a lot of money, they go and do something else.
"I think they should keep football out of these matters.
"We're governed by people who do business with Saudi, so individuals should be able to do the same.
"Tell the government to stop selling arms to them or stop them from coming here and buying properties if it's that big of a deal!
"I think it's a bit contradictory."
Saudi have made waves in football over the past 12 months.
Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the biggest sports star on the planet, plays for Al-Nassr.
And Saudi have also been able to attract A-listers such as Neymar, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante to the country as well.
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John Barnes has criticised Lewis Hamilton for racing in Saudi Arabia due to his beliefs
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Barnes feels Saudi isn't a threat to football, however, and thinks footballers are using the country as a well-paid retirement home.
"Saudi Arabia doesn't affect football whatsoever," he added.
"The players who are going over there are all at the end of their careers.
“Pele and Franz Beckenbauer went to America in the 1970s and David Beckham did the same thing 30 years later.
"Forget about the political ramifications and moral justifications - they went because they were at the end of their careers.
John Barnes feels Anthony Joshua gets away with boxing in Saudi Arabia because he isn't a footballer
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“It would be a different story if Saudi had the best young players in the world. Only a handful of players have gone there, and they won't challenge anything apart from finances.
"Ruben Neves is the exception, but he may come back in the future.
“Saudi Arabia wants to make a statement by using football to raise their profile. However, their teams only have two or three superstars in them and they're never going to challenge football at all.
“The Saudis could seriously challenge golf, but their presence in football is neither a good or bad thing.
"It's good for them, but it'll have no impact on the wider game aside from driving player salaries up.”
