RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — When fans arrived at the King Fahd International Stadium to watch the Italian Super Cup between Milan and Inter last week, they were each handed an LED wristband that was programmed to flash red or blue (the colours of the two teams) whenever a goal went in. Each time Inter scored in their 3-0 win, the wristbands turned the stadium into a wave of bouncing blue lights — an impressive spectacle on an otherwise dark and cold desert night. The rights to stage the one game cost $8 million alone, but there’s no expense spared when Saudi Arabia puts on a show.
For over a week, the eyes of the soccer world were fixed on Saudi Arabia, but its hope is to remain the centre of attention for much longer.
On Jan. 15, the capital Riyadh staged the Spanish Supercopa between Barcelona and Real Madrid. On Jan. 18, it was the Italian version featuring Milan and Inter, two of Serie A’s biggest teams. Less than 24 hours later they had Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo in a “G.O.A.T.s in the Gulf” exhibition game between Paris Saint-Germain and a Riyadh All-Star XI and then, to top it off, Ronaldo’s debut for Al Nassr in their own Saudi Pro League.
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In the space of seven days, Saudi fans were treated to two of the biggest club games in European soccer, a head-to-head between two of the greatest players in history and then a league match featuring Ronaldo, one of the most famous people on the planet, in their country.
The Middle East isn’t shy when it comes to bold statements of intent, but even by its standards it was a big week. The future, though, could be even more seismic.
“The Saudi league is moving towards being a global, international league that many people will follow,” Ibrahim al-Kassim, general secretary of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation, told ESPN. “Football in Saudi Arabia is moving at a very quick pace but in football you need time. You need to build up and the same thing applies to the clubs. The league has improved a lot and we are continuing in that direction until one day we are competing with European clubs.”
There are cautionary tales from recent years regarding such supercharged investment. At one time, the Chinese Super League made waves by suddenly emerging as a potential destination for top players, with Brazilian forward Oscar convinced to leave Chelsea for Shanghai SIPG by a contract worth nearly $500,000 per week in an $82m deal. Others had their heads turned by the money on offer — China spent more on transfers in the 2017 January window than Premier League teams — but the spike in investment was short-lived after the Chinese government clamped down on the investment and deals for Europe’s top talent dried up.
In contrast, the Saudi government is fuelling the growth of their domestic league. They are making no secret about their long-term ambitions and there’s already talk in the country that elite coaches Thomas Tuchel (formerly of Borussia Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea) and Mauricio Pochettino (of Spurs fame) could soon be taking jobs in the domestic league.
“We’ve all seen the historical international event of Cristiano’s move to the Saudi Pro League, which will impact the development of academies and talents,” said Hammad Albalawi, general manager of strategic planning and investments at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. “We are very ambitious. We’re very ambitious in the development of the league as well as the talents and academies.
“We will be seeing a lot of growth in Saudi Arabian football in the coming years.”
