But in Uefa AND Premier League the danger is not yet seen.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville looks cheeky in the desert. He has called on the English Premier League to suspend the transfer of players to Saudi Arabia on grounds of “honesty”. He seems shocked by his attempt by Al-Hilal to get Kylian Mbappe from PSG with an offer of £259 million.

Neville recalled that Liverpool captain Henderson has rushed to Al Ittifaq, and another Reds midfielder Fabinho has left for Al Ittihad, where he plays alongside ex-Chelsea midfielder Kante. At the same time, Manchester City sold Mahrez to Al Ahli, and Al Nasr, after Ronaldo, acquired from Manchester United Alex Telles. It seems that this flow is unstoppable.

A new blow to the global football market was Neymar’s move from PSG to Al-Hilal for £77.6m plus bonuses. All these gestures underline that the Saudi Arabian championship aims to become one of the strongest in the world in the coming years.

In June, the Saudi Investment Fund (PIF) announced the acquisition of four of the best clubs in the country, including Al-Nasr, previously acquired by Cristiano Ronaldo. Furthermore, PIF Tentacles can also be traced in Europe. For example, in the private investment firm Clearlake Capital, which owns Chelsea. Although London executives deny this connection. There are suspicions about Newcastle, who received rich owners from Saudi Arabia and sent Allen Saint-Maximin to Al-Ahly.

But at the same time Neville was calling for an immediate ban on transfers to Saudi Arabia, Premier League boss Richard Masters has claimed stability Premier League nothing threatens. Thanks to a system that allegedly prevents transfers at unrealistic prices. Masters stressed that his activity in Saudi Arabia is not very disturbing and noted that clubs have the same rights to buy players as clubs in other countries.

They invest in players and managers to raise the profile of the league and clubs. It took us 30 years to reach the position we hold in world football in terms of reputation, status and financial success.

interest in football

It should be noted that Saudi Arabia has always shown great interest in football. The national team of this country has qualified for six of the last eight world championships. Won three Asian Cups. Only Japan has more victories. At last year’s World Cup in Qatar, all 26 members of the Saudi squad came from local clubs. And no other club has won the AFC Champions League more often than Al-Hilal, who have four victories.

The much talked about takeover of Newcastle recently was further evidence of Saudi Arabia’s growing football expansion, which wants to position the country in the world through sport to a wider audience. There were also plans for a joint bid world Cup-2030 together with Egypt and Greece.

The big names in Saudi football began to appear not this summer, but much earlier. Even if the impetus was given precisely in 2023, precisely by the capital investments of the PIF. Previously, these efforts seemed more fuzzy. But, for example, last season, the champion Al-Ittihad was coached by the former mentor of Tottenham and Wolverhampton, Nuno Espirito Santo, and the elder Costa, Ever Banega, Odion Ighalo, who are remembered from matches in Europe , play under him .

Similarities with China

As a league becomes a major player in the global transfer market, questions arise about its financial viability. The Chinese Super League attracted a lot of interest for a short time, huge sums of money were in it, which allowed it to attract big-name players. But this level of spending didn’t last long.

Saudi Arabia does not like comparisons with China. They believe they are on a more solid footing. For example, they refer to the fact that the national league has proven itself since the 1970s and PIF is not the same investment it was in China, where private investors have just been tense for a while and are interested in football did not appear and quickly brought down the topic of brakes.

In Saudi Arabia, everything seems to rest on more solid foundations. The funding of football here is part of a long-term strategy developed at the state level. And the fact that the top four clubs are 75% owned by the PIF is apparently a guarantee of the reliability and openness for business that is sure to come to Saudi football. At the very least, there is an increase in interest in the championship from television companies, who previously would not have looked in the direction of this tournament. And now they are buying in force and leading broadcasts with world stars.

Saudi Arabia wants to change the whole football economy, not just attracting stars who are playing. Therefore, attempts are being made to attract those who are in their prime. In China, for example, they most often focused on finishing celebrities, although there were exceptions.

European concerns

We found that in England, football officials generally don’t care about the activity of Saudi Arabian clubs. Europe has already experienced an abnormal outflow of strong players. With China itself. However, European clubs are more constrained by the financial fair play system, which prevents them from engaging in a wild ride with the wealthy outside Europe. While the Old World relies on the conscience of the players themselves, who for the most part will not trade prospects in the Champions League for salaries in Saudi Arabia. Not all will be bought. President Uefa Aleksander Ceferin said:

I believe Saudi Arabia’s tactics are wrong. They have to invest in academies, bring in their coaches, develop their players. The system of buying players nearing retirement is not the system that develops football. The same mistake was made in China. It’s not just about money. Footballers want to win the best tournaments. And the highest competition is in Europe.