Saudi Arabian Sportswashing Shenanigans

[Project Zeus]

Everyone's favourite authoritarian petrogiants really seem to be ramping up their sportswashing efforts this summer, and also appear to be changing their strategy. In addition to buying European clubs and pumping them full of cash to soften the damage from executing gay people and beheading journalists in Turkish consulates, they are now ramping up efforts to lure players to play in the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo moved there six months ago for a reported £4m a week, and Lionel Messi is the headline player considering the move this summer (Fabrizio Romano claims the offer is for £7m a week). Elsewhere, Alexis Sanchez, N'Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino are also reported to be considering offers.

China tried something similar a decade or so ago, which failed miserably, but will the Saudis succeed in establishing a rival to the European leagues? My initial thought was no, and that only aging players after a final, massive payout will consider it, but now I'm not so sure. Saudi Arabia is an increasingly influential country, internationally, and they clearly have a growing presence in the sport. I wonder if the totally-not-owned-by-the-state Newcastle will pursue closer ties with the likes of Al-Nassr?

 

[Monkman]

They could boost their profile with two players that recently moved down from Newcastle to the Midlands.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Money talks but it takes a long time to establish a product which is consumed by a global audience.

Getting in good players is one part, but club identity built over years, passionate fans, rivalries etc all play their part to "sell" teams to others, alongside actual competition - the league needs to be seen as harder, better than others.

The Saudi's may make it work, but it'll take more than paying Messi £7m a a week, and it'll take longer than a few years.

By which point all the effort will be wasted as the West weans itself off oil and the Saudi's are selling an unwanted product for pittance to their only friends Russia and China.

 

[Captain Sinister]

£7m per week?
If that sets the bar for Premier League wages I think i will give up watching any form of football.
As a knowledgable footie watcher- live at grounds, on telly, at the cinema, for over 60 years, i demand a wage of at least £50k per week.

 

[Ashley]

The Saudi league is just going to be the new Chinese Super League.

Becoming a big and influential league isn't something you can manufacture, no matter how much money they throw at it. Cristiano Ronaldo moving over there hasn't really resulted in the league taking off, and he is arguably the most high profile footballer on the planet (I honestly couldn't tell you how he is getting on, the league is just not relevant in anyway).

Big name players only get you so far. You need iconic, historic clubs and prestigious competitions to get people to care.

All the money in the world won't make the Saudi leagues anything close to the attraction of watching something like Real Madrid taking on Bayern Munich in the Champions League, or a title race involving the likes of City, Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League, regardless of who is playing for those Saudi teams.

I give it a decade tops before it fades into obscurity like the Chinese league did.

 

[Rzar]

Money talks but it takes a long time to establish a product which is consumed by a global audience.

Getting in good players is one part, but club identity built over years, passionate fans, rivalries etc all play their part to "sell" teams to others, alongside actual competition - the league needs to be seen as harder, better than others.

The Saudi's may make it work, but it'll take more than paying Messi £7m a a week, and it'll take longer than a few years.

By which point all the effort will be wasted as the West weans itself off oil and the Saudi's are selling an unwanted product for pittance to their only friends Russia and China.

The Saudi league does have club identity, passionate fans and rivalries. They are mad about football in Saudi Arabia and have been for years.

 

[Eddie Yates]

The Saudi league does have club identity, passionate fans and rivalries. They are mad about football in Saudi Arabia and have been for years.

Are women allowed to attend ?

 

[Ashley]

The Saudi league does have club identity, passionate fans and rivalries. They are mad about football in Saudi Arabia and have been for years.

Perhaps within Saudi Arabia, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who knows or cares about those clubs. Most people can't name a single Saudi club (and if they do, it's probably the one Ronaldo plays for) or any Saudi Arabian players. It's just not something that will ever appeal to most folk outside the country IMO.

 

[Rzar]

Are women allowed to attend ?

Yeah they are now

I am not defending them, I am just saying they are actually football mad in that country and do support their domestic league. My grandad worked there in the 80s and all anybody wanted to talk to him about was football.

 

[Rzar]

Perhaps within Saudi Arabia, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who knows or cares about those clubs. Most people can't name a single Saudi club (and if they do, it's probably the one Ronaldo plays for) or any Saudi Arabian players. It's just not something that will ever appeal to most folk outside the country IMO.

But we aren't their target market. It will be people in the Middle East & Asia.

 

[Project Zeus]

Money talks but it takes a long time to establish a product which is consumed by a global audience.

Getting in good players is one part, but club identity built over years, passionate fans, rivalries etc all play their part to "sell" teams to others, alongside actual competition - the league needs to be seen as harder, better than others.

The Saudi's may make it work, but it'll take more than paying Messi £7m a a week, and it'll take longer than a few years.

By which point all the effort will be wasted as the West weans itself off oil and the Saudi's are selling an unwanted product for pittance to their only friends Russia and China.

Could you not argue that this is part of the Saudis trying to counter the west moving away from oil dependency though? They've been moving into the tech sector pretty rapidly as well, and tourism.

I'm not saying they're going to succeed in selling sport globally, but I do think they're not going to go anywhere once the oil is gone.

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

 

[Senior Flange Technician]

How long to Al-Nassr et al buy their way into the champs league?

 

[EmmersonForest4]

hopefully they do it and than fifa creates a world salary cap. Salary cap is the only way to save football.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Could you not argue that this is part of the Saudis trying to counter the west moving away from oil dependency though? They've been moving into the tech sector pretty rapidly as well, and tourism.

I'm not saying they're going to succeed in selling sport globally, but I do think they're not going to go anywhere once the oil is gone.

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

Countries can't just "move into the tech sector" - Like the banking sector there is a whole backing infrastructure which no one talks about that greases the wheels:
- Top class universities.
- Cities where people want to live.
- A people who are ambitious.
- Capital markets which are happy to risk millions on fantasy start-ups.
- National infrastructure to support business: Wide-scale access to Wifi.
- Corporate infrastructure which encourages innovation: Open offices, innovation rooms etc.
- Corporate governance which encourages innovation: Less "boss (family) is right" ala ME culture.

It's why the UK struggles to convince tech start-ups to list on London markets whilst the U.S thrives, because despite us having many of those things in place, the U.S has a more ambitious people and more risk taking.

 

[Harvey]

Money is all well and good but end of the day as a player which would you rather win, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A - competitions that are a hundred plus years old and that have been won by some of the best teams and players ever to play the game? Or the Saudi Pro League which, well, hasn't?

It's the same reason the much-touted breakaway Formula One championship has never happened - history and kudos matter to those who compete in the sport

So however much money they throw at it personally I highly doubt their product will ever match the European leagues

And that's before you even get into their human rights record, gender equality / LGBT laws etc

 

[Frank Clark’s Tash]

The Saudi league does have club identity, passionate fans and rivalries. They are mad about football in Saudi Arabia and have been for years.

So does Scotland, and I couldn't give a shit about their league either!

 

[Eddie Yates]

Yeah they are now

I am not defending them, I am just saying they are actually football mad in that country and do support their domestic league. My grandad worked there in the 80s and all anybody wanted to talk to him about was football.

They're letting women go down the match, how very 19th century of them

Next thing they'll really push the boat out & let women drive

As long people make excuses for them (not aimed at you Razza) they'll be able to carry on sports washing or whatever its called, pricks like Shearer don't help by placating them & not speaking out when the savages bought Newcastle

 

[Project Zeus]

They're letting women go down the match, how very 19th century of them

Next thing they'll really push the boat out & let women drive

As long people make excuses for them (not aimed at you Razza) they'll be able to carry on sports washing or whatever its called, pricks like Shearer don't help by placating them & not speaking out when the savages bought Newcastle

Pfft, you're the one living in the past Eddie - the Saudis have gone woke and let women drive in 2018!

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

 

[DizzyBala]

The difference between the likes of Anzhi/Zenit then the Chinese League compared to Saudi is that the Saudis have almost limitless funds and can probably go that next step with it and create their own super league.

Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad are all now owned by PIF. With the exception of Al-Shabab, they are the best teams in the league.

There's a number of former Forest players there. Vladimir Stojkovic, Alfa Semedo, Soudani, Modou Barrow as well.

 

[FBS]

Benzema on almost €200 million per season.

Sent from my SM-G996B using Tapatalk

 

[eyupmeduck]

Offering Zaha (who I would love us to sign) a paltry £15m a year as well, almost as much as Talksport had us paying Lingard.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

The difference between the likes of Anzhi/Zenit then the Chinese League compared to Saudi is that the Saudis have almost limitless funds and can probably go that next step with it and create their own super league.

Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad are all now owned by PIF. With the exception of Al-Shabab, they are the best teams in the league.

There's a number of former Forest players there. Vladimir Stojkovic, Alfa Semedo, Soudani, Modou Barrow as well.

Amazing all that talent they'll be able to play Burton Albion in a 4-3 ding dong themselves soon enough.

 

[Timothy Pope]

Pfft, you're the one living in the past Eddie - the Saudis have gone woke and let women drive in 2018!

Sent from my SM-G990B using Tapatalk

Was that more to do with the prevalence of car bombs?

 

[Strummer]

N‘Golo Kante, who will be out-of-contract at Chelsea at the end of this month, has been apparently offered a £100m-a-season contract in Saudi Arabia.

 

[Ashley]

Surely one of these Saudi clubs would be up for offering a lucrative deal for an ex-England international who played for Liverpool and Newcastle in the past, and also starred in the Harry Potter movies? A snip at £30m!