Is Saudi Arabia Really Ruining Football?
On Account Of The Recent Development Of The Saudi Pro League
T. G. George
THE GREEDY SAUDI ARABIAN MONARCHS ARE RUINING FOOTBALL. They’ve stolen prime footballing talent from Europe, splashing lucrative contracts in an unprecedented attempt to sportswash their country and deprive footballing fans from the culture and tradition that embodies the sport. That is what the fans of the top European clubs will try to tell you.
Although some of their claims have reason, the majority opinion of the developing league in the Middle East has been manipulated by a façade ingrained in modern football culture. These fans are quick to label the foreign investment as an attack on world football, without delving into the specifics and true intentions, as well as forgetting the demolition taking place by the top European teams and competitions.
For some context, the Saudi Arabian Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has taken the initiative to develop football for the country’s 35 million people. The nation’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the PIF, has taken over the league’s four largest clubs, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Nassr, as the first step in enacting their development plan. In January, Al Nassr signed global superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, on a massive $315 million a year deal. Since then, the fund has relentlessly worked to achieve their objective of signing three major names per owned team. They have notably recruited Ballon D’or winner, Karim Benzema, and N’golo Kante, both on A$164 million per year contracts to play for Al Ittihad.
The motives for this expansion are both economic and cultural. The wealth of Saudi Arabia is built upon the vast supply of oil reserves, earning $326 billion in revenue in 2022. However, with an emerging global diversion from fossil fuels, investment in other domains is required to facilitate future economic development in the country.
Another major objective is improving the health standards, as 60% of the population are overweight or obese. This improvement will come with developing the grassroots sporting culture, with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation setting the goal of increasing the number of registered players from 21,000 to over 200,000. Similar to European leagues, passion and tradition still exists within the Saudi Pro League, which was founded in the 1970s. The love for football in this part of the world was exemplified during the World Cup in neighbouring country, Qatar. Here, a public holiday was granted following Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina. Therefore, the primary reasons for Saudi Arabia’s investment into football are to ensure economic prosperity for the future, to improve the nation’s health standards, and to enhance the quality and competitiveness of their league for the avid football supporters in their country. The real threat, if any, lies within Europe.
The fanhood, underdog stories, competitiveness, accessibility, passion, and unpredictability are all unique qualities that make football the beautiful game it is, played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries. As explained, many of these same principles have been adopted by Saudi Arabia, but are depreciating in Europe’s top divisions. Most leagues have already been taken over, such as France’s Ligue 1 which has been overtaken by Paris Saint-Germain, winning nine of the last eleven league titles, as well as spending over A$1.6 billion in new acquisitions. Similar dominance has been experienced in other leagues, such as the Bundesliga, where Bayern have won 11 consecutive titles, and purchase almost any promising talent in Germany. It is evident across the top five leagues, that whoever spends the most, wins the most.
Even the Champions League, one of the most praised and loved competitions by football fans, is succumbing to financial power. The shift in qualification requirements means that even the 4th best teams in Spain, Germany, England and Italy automatically qualify, while league winners in other smaller nations have to endure qualifying rounds to reach the group stage. Additionally, if it wasn’t for the backlash from the fans, the greedy businessmen that own the top teams, such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona, would’ve broken off into an elite super league. The poor would get poorer, and the rich would get richer, while domestic rivalry and authentic competition that shape football would be lost.
Not only are these rich clubs prohibiting the success and opportunity for fans of less wealthy clubs, but their own fan bases are taking a beating. Ticket prices are at an all-time high, costing an average of $75 for Premier League games. Pair this with the high price of team merchandise and broadcasting subscriptions, the cost of supporting your team is far from accessible – a quality that previously modelled football.
Overall, if football is heading for any impending doom, it is at the hands of the major football clubs of Europe, not the national reconstruction occurring in the Middle East.