Poll Is the Saudi league fucked?
- Thread starter dee
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
Prefix for Poll Threads
- Status
It's so mad and obvious isn't it? I can sort of imagine a narrative that got Benzema there and get Ronaldo will do anything for cash, but the summer 2023 cohort really are dim it seems. What did they imagine? Yes, they are richer but they were already rich. Really hard to figure.
I'm well paid compared to the average in my industry and there are always opportunities to move to the Middle East on really game-changing terms. It isn't just football/golf/sports washing. The Middle East states have the money to do 'stuff' acrosss industries but lack the talent in certain areas. If you go there, surely you know what you are doing?
I'm well paid compared to the average in my industry and there are always opportunities to move to the Middle East on really game-changing terms. It isn't just football/golf/sports washing. The Middle East states have the money to do 'stuff' acrosss industries but lack the talent in certain areas. If you go there, surely you know what you are doing?
Last edited:
Money for the players really, if they want the money for X generations after them in their family line then that's the way to do it. Honestly I think the Saudi's over estimated the level of public interest in their country - either because of:
1) the high level of interest shown by the general public during the Qatar world cup.
2) the high level of general interest of European football in general, which won't translate to a domestic league.
The hard-core fans are not going to want to watch what could be considered a few washed up - passed their best players on over priced wages and transfer fees. The attendance figures are quite shocking for them I think - it's quite sad really. Also, I would not pay a single Saudi Rial to watch Jordan Henderson, never liked watching him play for us.
1) the high level of interest shown by the general public during the Qatar world cup.
2) the high level of general interest of European football in general, which won't translate to a domestic league.
The hard-core fans are not going to want to watch what could be considered a few washed up - passed their best players on over priced wages and transfer fees. The attendance figures are quite shocking for them I think - it's quite sad really. Also, I would not pay a single Saudi Rial to watch Jordan Henderson, never liked watching him play for us.
It depends… as a younger player would you want to go and live in sandpit dictatorship with pretty restrictive rules on your lifestyle??
I’m sure when you are at the end of your career money is always appealing but…
You will never win any medals worth winning and nobody will be watching so…
I’m sure when you are at the end of your career money is always appealing but…
You will never win any medals worth winning and nobody will be watching so…
Depends how many players want to leave early I suppose. We know about Henderson but what is happening with all of the others?
If there are a lot of players who hate it and want to leave then they will struggle to get players to move there, beyond ones who really are past it and ones who are average and not likely to earn as much in Europe.
I guess the other approach they could take though is to ramp up their pursuit of players even more - "yes, we know that you might hate it here, but how about a million pounds a week?"
If there are a lot of players who hate it and want to leave then they will struggle to get players to move there, beyond ones who really are past it and ones who are average and not likely to earn as much in Europe.
I guess the other approach they could take though is to ramp up their pursuit of players even more - "yes, we know that you might hate it here, but how about a million pounds a week?"
Perhaps they'll do what they've done in MMA, boxing and wrestling. Hold one off pay per view events, with all star dream teams of the best players on earth. If they play the charity / beheading card it will be hard for clubs to refuse to release their players. Then as people grow tired of sky and the overpriced knee bending female pundit presenting woke garbage, and they have better things to do with their weekly leisure time, this saudi one off super event extravaganza model may become the place that money decides to head.
The Saudi project is not comparable to the Chinese attempt. They will keep pumping in money until it has some level of success, IMO. Benzemas and Hendersons 'great sadness' will barely be footnotes.
Remember when City signed Robinho and were manged by Mark Hughes? This is the stage we are at with Saudi football.
Remember when City signed Robinho and were manged by Mark Hughes? This is the stage we are at with Saudi football.
We all know the cliche....money dont buy you happiness....but we still do it anyways...why ?
Last edited:
The problem with the robinho comparison, is that robinho was joining a competitive highly watched league, which could also enter the premier international club tournament. Saudi has neither. Their league is fucking dreadful, and unless PIF buys every team and invests heavily, it'll be fucking pointless
Yeah it's just some perspective that it's extremely early days. This is more complex and requires far more investment, time, and energy, but where there's a will and endless pots of money then things will get ultimately get closer to their ambitions. The region has took over golf, hosted a World Cup, features on the F1 calender all in the last 15 years. Give it another 15/20 years and things will look very different, IMO.
Football over there will never be seen as anything other than manufactured, you can throw as much money as you want for players past their prime and think you're building something substantial but the truth is you can't buy the passion, atmosphere and understanding of the game the fans in Europe bring, football was born and bred in this continent.....which is why you'll never see a player in their prime spending most of their career there.
Who really gives a fuck anyway?
Who really gives a fuck anyway?
All those things though rely on 1, maybe 2 events being played there. Golf, still a global sport, same with F1. The world cup was always a travesty that it went there, and the backlash showed that. The main draw in domestic football is 1) Champions league, 2) Premier league. They will never be in the Champions League (and if they are, they need to work their way up the coefficient which they'll never be able to), and i doubt they will be able to grow a domestic league to the size of the PL. Their only hope is a super league, and lets be honest, who the fuck is inviting them when the whole point of the super league is to protect legacy clubs.
I don't think in 15/20 years it'll be any closer to the top 5 leagues than it is now.
I could never understand how it was meant to work. People follow football teams, not football players. And Saudi teams represent a culture totally alien and unattractive to the entire non-arab world.
Now, i fundamentally agree with this post, but there is a section of football fandom who are more player fans than they are club fans. However these degenerates are normally for the top 5 players in the world, rather than Jota of Celtic, or 37 year old karim Benzema. Neymar and Ronaldo, for that reason, makes sense to go there. Everyone else, money. And normally when money is the main reason rather than accolades, the performances tend to be shite.
I think they're trying to create sports franchises like in the US. But like you say, they need supporters. It's has to be a spectacle as well.
Nah, the Saudi league is dead.
They want to host the World Cup. That's almost certainly going to happen, so it's a win. Will the league be viable in the long run,? Probably not.
On another note, Agent Hendo has run an amazing doublecross here. Went undercover to infiltrate the league and now is torpedoing it by leading an exodus of players. He'll next return with the LGBTQ+ community to take over and reform the Saudi league to feature women and non-binary players too. My captain, my leader!
On another note, Agent Hendo has run an amazing doublecross here. Went undercover to infiltrate the league and now is torpedoing it by leading an exodus of players. He'll next return with the LGBTQ+ community to take over and reform the Saudi league to feature women and non-binary players too. My captain, my leader!
Also, very generous of Agent Hendo to bilk the Saudis for huge money and then leave before it becomes tax exempt under UK laws.
Singlehandedly propping up the NHS, our top lad is. In line for honours for service to King and Country.
It’ll run until the WC.
Apart from he's going to the EU
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
