The sporting world has undergone significant changes over the past 72 hours, with a shift in the power structure of football taking center stage. One prime footballer, who previously turned down an offer from the Saudi Pro League, has changed his mind after seeing the headlines and numbers being shared. While this player is not Neymar, he is the next big target after Lionel Messi, and the offer put forward to him is substantial. These game-changing sums, at over £50m per year, are higher than the pay of the entire squad of newly promoted Premier League team Luton Town.
This moment marks a significant shift in the power dynamics of the sports world, with Ronaldo’s initial move sparking a chain of events preceding it. However, it is only through football that we can see just how much the sports industry has changed. What Saudi Arabia is attempting is a takeover of the planet’s primary cultural pursuit, which is football. While some of these changes stem from genuine social programs within the state, such as tackling obesity, most of it comes from the kingdom’s sportswashing aims.
Saudi Arabia is trying a range of approaches to achieve its goal, including sponsorship, funding others’ plans, buying clubs, staging events, and revamping the domestic league. These steps aim to build up to the most traditional form of sportswashing, i.e., the staging of the World Cup itself. The ambitious goal for 2030 is at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s grand economic plan, ‘Vision 2030.’ The overhaul of the domestic league could otherwise be interpreted as a legitimate development, considering Saudi Arabia’s football culture and history, but it could not be isolated from Bin Salman’s wider political aims.
Under the plan, the state’s Public Investment Fund has taken over four of Saudi Arabia’s top football clubs, including Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al Nassr (who have Ronaldo), and Al Ittihad (who will have Karim Benzema). The new development aims to create a sense of competition, drive broadcasting markets, and make the league worth £400m a season by 2030. The competition will initially aim to become the natural home for stars in their mid-thirties looking for a final payday, since there is an obvious market for this. While it may never reach the Premier League levels, industry figures believe that the money involved could eventually bring it to a point where it has more high-profile prime stars than Ligue 1 or Serie A.
However, to achieve this, the competition will need proper regulation and structure, and this is where some of the consulted industry figures have been struck by the eruption of the last few days. The Saudi state’s announcement has caused offers for players to fly around, with some of them greatly increased after the initial refusal, and some clearly from actors looking to exploit the situation. Players have been contacted by six different intermediaries, all insisting they represent the same client or club. This has created chaos and confusion among players and agents, with some of the numbers going around being deemed as bogus.
In conclusion, Saudi Arabia’s attempt to take over the planet’s primary cultural pursuit, i.e., football, is a game-changing moment in the sports industry. The overhaul of the domestic league finally gives Saudi Arabia’s vibrant and football-obsessed population a chance to develop their league, but it cannot be isolated from Bin Salman’s wider political aims. Regardless, the changes proposed for the domestic league and the offers made to top footballers demonstrate that the sports industry is evolving, and the power dynamics are shifting.
