After a transfer market with huge media repercussions, the opening of the Saudi Football Championship, this Friday, arouses an unprecedented interest in the tournament, but also criticism of the country, accused of wanting to improve its image thanks to this type of operation in sport.
Several Saudi clubs managed to get hold of great stars of world football in recent weeks, from the Frenchman Karim Benzema to the Brazilians Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, as well as the Senegalese Sadio Mane. But it all started six months earlier with the signing of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo by Al-Nassr, in January of this year.
In July, Al-Hilal even offered 300 million euros (R$ 1.6 billion at current exchange rates) to hire French star Kylian Mbappé, but the star of Paris Saint Germain refused to meet with the leaders of that club.
“Saudi Arabia dreams of becoming the Premier League“, explained Simon Chadwick, professor of sport economics at Skema Business School in Paris.
“The press is aware of this and some fans are wondering which channel they can follow the Saudi Pro League on,” he added.
Just five years after opening its borders to non-Muslim tourists and allowing women to drive, Saudi Arabia is trying to open up its conservative society, long closed to foreign influences.
The world’s biggest oil exporter has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to gain prominence in the sport. The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV Series golf circuit are some of the examples.
“The market has changed”
These initiatives are part of Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman’s grand projects aimed at modernizing the Saudi economy and reducing its dependence on oil.
The kingdom wants “the compass of professional football to point to the Middle East and the Arab world”, according to Moqbel Al Zabni, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Al Riyadiah.
The signing of star Cristiano Ronaldo, in January, by Al-Nassr, from the capital Riyadh, has already drawn world attention to the hitherto unknown Saudi Pro League.
Saudi Arabia continues to offer tempting salaries for other big names in football, both veteran stars and up-and-coming players. It also managed to attract trainers to assemble the parts.
“I’ve been working in sport for forty years and I’ve never seen such a big and ambitious project,” he told BBC Britain’s Peter Hutton, who sits on the Saudi league’s board of directors.
Pep Guardiola, coach of Manchester Citystated that the Saudi championship “completely changed the market” and anticipated that other players will follow this trend.
“Wait five to ten years”
The 18 clubs in the Saudi Pro League can each have eight foreign players, so the margin is still wide.
The investments made have also often been interpreted as part of a strategy to divert attention from the human rights situation in the country.
“Most of the headlines focus on the signings of big players in Saudi Arabia and not the long prison sentences given to activists,” he told the AFP a Western diplomat based in Riyadh, on condition of anonymity.
According to professor Simon Chadwick, Saudi football still has a long way to go. “We will likely have to wait five to 10 years to determine whether sustainable change will occur,” he concluded.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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