Can the Saudi Pro League buy a reputation for good, watchable football?
It is difficult not to look to the Saudi Pro League with a sense of admiration. Many will disagree with the methods of the Saudi Arabian clubs – throwing money at players until they nod and accept a transfer to the Middle East – but others will argue that other leagues, especially in Europe, had periods where they did just that.
So can the Saudi Pro League buy a reputation for good football? If you pack a league with enough stars it shines, right?
“I don’t think anyone is under any illusions about what Saudi Arabia is trying to achieve by pouring money into the Saudi Pro League – acceptance, legitimacy and prestige internationally and increased engagement with a young, football-mad population domestically. The question is, will the strategy succeed?,” Tim Jotischky, divisional managing director of reputation at The PHA Group, tells Morning Wire
10-year Saudi Pro League plan
Ben Peppi, head of sport services at JMW Solicitors, says it’ll take a decade before we know.
“The aim for Saudi Arabia is to see a return on its investment in 10 years, although it is difficult to see how this can happen with the amount of money being spent which is way above market rates for player contracts and transfer fees.
“The strategy and vision should be split between the short and long term, with the short term being getting the world’s elite players to the country as part of Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s plans to host the World Cup.
“Further down the line, Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify the kingdom’s revenue away from oil, grow the participation of children in football and develop a functioning sporting pyramid.”
The commercialisation of what is now the Premier League was possible due to international and domestic broadcasting deals.
But prior to that, there was still a heritage and interest from overseas in the top flight of English football, a luxury the Saudi Pro League does not have.
Challenger
“To make the Saudi Pro League a global challenger to the Premier League and La Liga, it will have to continue paying inflated transfer fees and unprecedented wages to lure players in the prime of their careers rather than looking for a final payday. The risk is that this increases hostility towards the Saudi model and greater scrutiny of its motives,” Jotischky says.
“The experience of the embryonic US league a generation ago and China’s more recent football experiment suggests that the Saudi Pro League will only succeed if leading international players become embedded in their Clubs for the long-term and inspire a new generation of home-grown players.”
Peppi adds: “What makes Saudi Arabia’s approach distinct is that it is government backed and there is currently very little interest in Saudi football internationally.
“A strong football league helps to buy a seat at the table, but only as part of a wider diversification strategy.
“It is indirect competition until Saudi clubs either take part in the Champions League or there is an equivalent of a Super League with top league involvement and Saudi clubs.
“However, football in Saudi Arabia will stay siloed until it can integrate into competition with European clubs, which will no doubt be part of the long-term vision.”
So it appears, with the likes of Karim Benzema, N’golo Kante, Cristiano Ronaldo and others in their league ranks, that the Saudi Pro League can indeed buy its way into relevance.
Whether it can stay there, and capitalise on the opportunities it’s new found fame brings, remains a mystery for now at least.