[Football] Paul Barber interviewed by Sky on Saudi spending

[Zeberdi]

Our CEO interviewed by Sky News on Saudi Spending

Is Saudi Arabia a genuine threat to the Premier League's grip on football's transfer market?

Clubs in Saudi Arabia have already spent more than £700m on top talent this summer, and experts warn the Gulf nation will only get more aggressive in future transfer windows.

news.sky.com

Do people think the spending power of the PPI and other Saudi business consortiums are a threat to the EPL/European Leagues or will the vast majority of the World’s top players still be attracted to the top clubs in the PL/Europe?

 

[KZNSeagull]

It will become a haven for the unambitious (rather like Chelsea) or for those at the end of their careers.

 

[Mustafa II]

This is just an unsustainable fad for the Saudis, they have nothing better to spend their money on.

If anything, they are just pumping insane money into European football, paying well above the odds for players.

In order to be sustainable, the Saudi league will need to generate its own talent. It should be investing in football academies, not just high profile players.

 

[Mackenzie]

Ultimately it’ll fail because no one cares about their teams outside of Saudi.

 

[Insel affe]

In order to be sustainable, the Saudi league will need to generate its own talent. It should be investing in football academies, not just high profile players.

Maybe they are doing this or it is the next step in their plan for world dimination.
Just wait until they start hoovering up all Europe's young talent and paying them stupid money to move over there. They can afford to decimate our leagues, scary times for domestic leagues.

 

[SweatyMexican]

They just want the soft power that the UK have enjoyed so much with the premier league.

But no one cares about their league, so they won’t achieve the same level that we’ve got.

 

[Triggaaar]

Agree with all the above. I don't even have time to watch the good European Leagues, there's no way I'll ever be interested in watching the Saudi League. I appreciate I'm not the target market, but I can't see fans across the world feeling much different.

Even if the Saudi teams somehow became the best (and they're not even close currently) I don't think enough people would watch.

 

[Mustafa II]

Maybe they are doing this or it is the next step in their plan for world dimination.
Just wait until they start hoovering up all Europe's young talent and paying them stupid money to move over there. They can afford to decimate our leagues, scary times for domestic leagues.

We're not going to run out of footballers in Europe. If they want to keep sending £100ms this way, it's their money they're wasting.

It's not going to make European football less entertaining. The signing of high profile players has barely made the MLS more watchable and the same will apply in Saudi.

European football in particular is so watchable because of the clubs, the fans, the history, the prestige... Does anyone really care about Al-Jazz versus Al-Jizz, even when they have a handful of former Premier League players?

Saudi money is NO threat to world football. It's just a great opportunity for European clubs to get stupid money for players.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Maybe they are doing this or it is the next step in their plan for world dimination.
Just wait until they start hoovering up all Europe's young talent and paying them stupid money to move over there. They can afford to decimate our leagues, scary times for domestic leagues.

We can easily afford to lose 10% of our talent

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Agree with all the above. I don't even have time to watch the good European Leagues, there's no way I'll ever be interested in watching the Saudi League. I appreciate I'm not the target market, but I can't see fans across the world feeling much different.

Even if the Saudi teams somehow became the best (and they're not even close currently) I don't think enough people would watch.

Just wondering whether there is a possibility that there may be a massive audience in the wider Muslim world. What is the population of Malasia, for example? 33 million. Indonesia 278 million - 4th largest population in the world.

There will be an audience, I suspect.

 

[RandyWanger]

Yes. Look what happened to Italian football with the invention of the EPL.

 

[A1X]

They just want the soft power that the UK have enjoyed so much with the premier league.

But no one cares about their league, so they won’t achieve the same level that we’ve got.

English football also took 30 years or so to build that before the PL even started, the Saudis think they can buy their way past that bit but are in for a shock

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Just wondering whether there is a possibility that there may be a massive audience in the wider Muslim world. What is the population of Malasia, for example? 33 million. Indonesia 278 million - 4th largest population in the world.

There will be an audience, I suspect.

The Chinese are trying and they're happy with gambling whereas the Islamic nations aren't.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Ultimately their blood money will find its way into every PL club’s coffers, directly or indirectly. I don’t like it. It is already destabilising the finances of PL clubs.

 

[AmexRuislip]

The money the Saudis are throwing about is jaw dropping.
These players that go there mostly for the will eventually get bored.
What I'm saying is that mainly in Europe the best players were attracted to play with other top players for the silverware, ie: PL, CL, La Liga, Serie A etc.........
What do Saudis have to offer that equals the history of the latter.
"The Kings off with your head cup"

Aren't Saudi FC a satellite club for them already

 

[chickens]

Ultimately it’ll fail because no one cares about their teams outside of Saudi.

This is pretty much where I am as well. I think they want to create a Saudi Super League with the best players in the world playing for their teams, and that’s fine and good luck to them if that’s how they want to spend their money.

However, I think they want the rest of the world to watch and envy them, and that’s not really how football works. I (as a Brighton supporter) am not going to suddenly swap allegiance to a Saudi team, even if they have the greatest footballing lineup of all time.

Football is rooted in place and culture, and while it’s grown to an extent where the majority of players, coaches and even owners are not local or even British, I support Brighton and that’s not going to change.

I’m more than happy for Saudi to have their league, what I’m not going to do is pay for it. The TV company that spends billions on the rights to show it in the U.K. needs to be very careful that they don’t just bundle the cost into their sports contracts. They’ll lose a customer in me. I’m already very interested in whether the rights auction for the Premier League gets more or less expensive next time around. It feels to me like they’ve stretched it slightly further than it should go. Price increases at this stage will probably cause me to cancel and go back to listening on the radio.

 

[GT49er]

It may be a long way off - but how will it carry on when the world finally manages to largely do without fossil fue and nobody wants to buy their oil.

 

[Triggaaar]

Just wondering whether there is a possibility that there may be a massive audience in the wider Muslim world. What is the population of Malasia, for example? 33 million. Indonesia 278 million - 4th largest population in the world.

There will be an audience, I suspect.

People across the world don't seem interested in following Leagues with the same religion as theirs. But if they decide to, that's fine it wouldn't suddenly ruin football elsewhere. And if some of the best talent in the world want to ply their trade there, that's fine too.

As long as they aren't allowed to bribe their way into European competitions, I don't care.

 

[chickens]

Just wondering whether there is a possibility that there may be a massive audience in the wider Muslim world. What is the population of Malasia, for example? 33 million. Indonesia 278 million - 4th largest population in the world.

There will be an audience, I suspect.

This I agree with, if Saudi can convert Asia’s hordes of Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City fans into fans of Saudi clubs then they will have a “product” (sorry)

Colossal amounts of capital required to set up and maintain it over the decade or more that such a strategy requires though. What’s the attention span of the average Saudi Prince?

 

[Zeberdi]

It may be a long way off - but how will it carry on when the world finally manages to largely do without fossil fue nd nobody wants to buy their oil.

I think that’s why they put forward the argument (against their ‘sportwashing’ critics) for why they have been making such a drive towards global sport investment (ie to move away from a fossil fuel-reliant GDP) - it’s not just football they are making silly money investments in but golf, boxing, formula 1 …

Saudi Arabia’s Investments Raise Questions of ‘Sportswashing’

Saudi Arabia has made unprecedented investments in international sports. Critics accuse the kingdom of “sportswashing” its reputation for human rights abuses.

www.cfr.org