In July 2023, the Saudi government announced that it had bought four Saudi clubs through the state’s investment fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). It was about Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.
Four other state-controlled companies have also invested in four more clubs in the Saudi league.
Subsequently, a huge investment has been made where large sums of money have been spent on buying players, including from Europe.
Nu har ligan spelare som Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane – och Robin Quaison.
Quaison has been at Al Ettifaq for two years, and last summer Steven Gerrard took over as manager of the team, bringing with him Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.
– A lot has happened in the league. I don’t think anyone was prepared for how fast and how big it was going to be. But it’s great fun, says Quaison.
– Gerrard is very talented. Very direct and clear with what he wants, and very demanding. It has worked.
How is Henderson?
– Simple. Also very clear. Demanding. Good. Pushes. I think he will be very important for us.
Has there been a big difference in the quality of training now with a new coach and some new players?
– Yes, one hundred percent. Especially when they demand so much. So you have to be on your toes. Before, it has been a bit that some have accepted a slightly lower level from me and others, and then it becomes that you can go and sleep a little. But right now it’s very demanding and you need to be on your toes all the time.
Al Ettifaq has had a good start to this year’s season and after five rounds the team has three wins, one draw and one loss.
– It has become tougher, more fun and better. I have played better in these five games than I have ever done before. So I think it will be good for me, the country and the club, says Quaison and continues:
– There is a little more excitement now that you know who you are meeting, how many people are watching.
While the league is growing, the players and coaches who go there are criticized for their choices. Saudi Arabia is classified as a dictatorship and where there are major deficiencies in human rights. Bans and restrictions prevail for what women can and cannot do, homosexuality is forbidden and the death penalty is practiced.
Many believe that the regime uses sport as an active political tool, and that it is both about creating goodwill internationally and in its own population, but also about creating new diplomatic relations, networks and alliances.
But Robin Quaison says this is not something that is talked about in the law.
– No, nothing, he says.
You just assume you’re there to play football?
– Exactly.
Instead, Quaison thinks it’s more fun now that the league has grown as there is not only talk about negative things but also about sports.
What are the biggest differences now compared to before?
– First of all, that you (the media) talk more about football than other things. That it is shown all over the world. And the interest has only grown. I think the league will get bigger and bigger every transfer window.
Now several other players in the Swedish national team have also become interested in the Saudi league.
– You get a lot of questions from the guys here. Everyone is very curious about how it is, the league and so on, says Quaison.
What kind of questions do you get from the other national team players?
– About everything. The heat, which team is the best, which team I think will win the league, about the country and everything.
Recently, it has mostly been a break-in for Quaison in the national team. Last start in a competitive match was on 27 September 2022 in the 1-1 match against Slovenia in the Nations League. Now he believes the rise of the Saudi league can give himself a lift and he hopes to get closer to a starting place.
– I think it gives me a boost as a player, one hundred percent. When it comes to competition, you only get better. But then I don’t know how it will be here in the national team. When I’m here in the national team, I almost always perform. When I get to play, I score goals. But I have been out of the starting eleven. But I keep scoring. I have always delivered. But I don’t know how it will affect, he says.
2023-09-08 05:15:00
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