Saudi Arabia has been changing the football map in recent months. They first recruited a needy Cristiano Ronaldo, following his traumatic departure from Manchester United. Then they convinced Karim Benzema to leave Madrid. They are the two footballers with the most resumes who have moved from Europe to the Persian Gulf, but others have already followed them and those who seem to come. There is no transfer or negotiation in the international market in which the word Arabia does not appear. The country has drawn up a multimillion-dollar plan at the state level to shake the board, improve its image and increase its influence on the international scene.
Petrodollars have been roaming some of the major European leagues for some time. With the Qatari ownership of PSG, with that of Abu Dhabi in Manchester City, with sponsorship agreements, with promotional tours and with the dispute in once exotic territories of trophies such as the Spanish or Italian Super Cup. In addition, this year the Club World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. However, now what is being considered is a very different fur. It is not about investing in European teams or competitions, but about promoting a local league like the Saudi one by convincing prominent footballers. And not only in autumn age like Cristiano and Benzema, but also players with a journey ahead of them, such as the former Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy or the Portuguese Rúben Neves, who had been associated with Barça and Liverpool. Therefore, it is a bet that goes beyond the golden retirement, different from what the leagues in the United States, Japan, China or Qatar could be in their day. Here it goes further and Saudi Arabia is rivaling even the all-powerful Premier League.
The plan would consist of boosting the four main clubs with three top-tier foreign signings per head and distributing eight more signings among the other 12 teams in the championship. That, in the short term. At the moment, Al-Hilal already has Koulibaly and Neves, Al-Ittihad with Kanté and Benzema, Al-Nassr with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Ahly with Mendy. Meanwhile, they continue to pursue signings that would mean new blows on the table such as Brozovic (Inter), wanted by Barça, Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Son (Tottenham) or Kessié (Barcelona). Beyond the money behind the operations is the general director of the Saudi league since January, the British Garry Cook, who worked for a time at Manchester City, at Nike and at the UFC mixed martial arts organization.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), led by the Saudi crown prince and prime minister, Mohamed bin Salman, announced in early June that it was taking over 75% of the four main clubs in the country: El Al -Hilal and Al -Nassr, from Riyadh, and Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahly, from Jeddah. This initiative seeks to multiply the income of the Saudi league by four and raise it to 1,800 million riyals (440 million euros). With an impressive economic muscle, they are offering prohibitive salaries for the rest of the market. Cristiano receives about 200 million per season, Benzema 100 million plus a bonus of 20 and Kanté, another 100. Dizzying figures, but they would have been far exceeded by the 400 million offered to Messi.
Amnesty International has accused Saudi Arabia of embarking on a sportswashing program (image laundering through sports) to cover up violations of human rights in the country. Another organization such as Human Rights Watch maintains that Saudi Arabia has invested billions in sports and cultural activities to present itself to the world as a more palatable place by international standards. The truth is that Saudi Arabia hosts important motor events (Dakar Rally, and Formula 1 GP), shook the world of golf with the millionaire LIV circuit, which has now signed an alliance with the American PGA, and is also pulling strings to forcefully enter a sport as lucrative as tennis. In the background, the desire to one day organize a World Cup. Sport as soft but very profitable power, especially at the level of image. Saudi Arabia has changed the map.
