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Should get around 300 million euros for his two-year contract with Al Hilal: Neymar (left). afp © AFP
Michael Emelano, head of the Saudi Pro League, on the transfer offensive, future investments in infrastructure and development in the kingdom. An interview by Philipp Kessler
Mr. Emelano, it is said that money rules the world. Do you agree?
I’ve never really had much money. And I’ve never had any interest in running the world. So I don’t know that dynamic. I think that money is an important currency of exchange that allows us to interact and relate to one another, person to person, country to country, business to business, sport to sport. And that is my only interpretation of what money can do.
The Saudi Pro League spent 954 million euros on new stars this year. Are the Saudis ruining football?
It’s not good to point fingers at others. I can give you so many examples that have received the same criticism, including Bayern Munich. Smaller clubs are afraid of FC Hollywood. There is always this fixation on money when it comes to improving the status quo. In the Premier League, where I spent ten years at Chelsea, there was always the same criticism. And in the end today everyone is happy with what the Premier League is doing. Yes, we are second only to the Premier League in terms of spending. The English league is already expected to spend a lot of money. Nobody complains about it anymore, even though the situation was different five years ago.
The horrendous expenditure on new stars is offset by a transfer loss of 889 million euros. How economically sensible is that?
The spending makes sense in two ways. On the one hand, the Saudis invest in their people, they give something back to their people, they promote culture and social interaction among themselves. On the other hand, it is also an investment in the future. It is an investment in an industry that is growing and growing, an industry that not long ago was rejected and neglected. Again, the same accusations were made about other leagues when they first started, saying that the investments would not be profitable. And now we find that football has a different market mechanism with its corporate value.
What do you mean?
There are many people in the world who would be happy to own Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Chelsea. The London club was bought for a certain amount at the time and later sold again for more money. But initially the club was also accused of spending too much and getting nothing in return. Ours is a very solid and well thought out investment for the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It’s a smart investment in an industry that’s growing exponentially.
To person
Michael Emelano , 58, has been head of the Saudi Pro League since this summer. The former Nigerian international and left-back played for Eintracht Trier in the top league in the 1994/1995 season. From 2011 to 2017 he was technical director at Chelsea FC and from 2017 to 2019 at AS Monaco. FR/AFP
There is a lot of criticism of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia. In turn, they say that the high expenditure on football is an investment for people. Will sport change the situation in the country?
This is a developing nation where 70 percent of the population is under 35, which is remarkable. The situation has improved and continues to develop. We are experiencing incredible growth and an upswing in all areas. You can look at what is happening with the women’s league, women’s football and the appearance of the Saudi Arabian women’s national team in the FIFA rankings for the first time. As in any other country in the world, there is always the opportunity to develop further. We are currently experiencing this development here. And it was mastered with intelligence, calm and great empathy.
Which German players do you dream of? During your time as Chelsea’s technical director, a certain Jamal Musiala was in the London academy.
The Saudi Pro League is open to every single superstar who wants to be a part of it. The younger they are, the better. But we do not discriminate against anyone, no matter what age, size or skin color they are. We are simply open to the best players who want to come here. It is very important to emphasize that we want people to make their own decision to come here. I know players who were hesitant before taking this step and are now very happy, including with the response they are getting. Of course it’s not perfect. But they are very happy because their experiences are more positive than their fears and the expectations of them here are really high. So I hope that these young, wonderful superstars or even up-and-coming greats like Musiala, who I absolutely admire, will one day make the decision themselves to come to us. But I hope it will develop organically.
Clubs in Europe are happy that Saudi Arabian clubs are buying their players well above market value. Why are you overpaying?
I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. European clubs might think we paid too much and we might think we got exactly what we need. I think the critics can’t have it both ways: they can’t accuse us of ruining world football. And then be happy that we are paying too much for their players. At some point they have to decide. We, on the other hand, only do what we think is good for our league and our project. We are very focused and very clear in what we are trying to achieve.
Are top stars enough to make the league better?
I don’t know what will happen in the next transfer windows, but I can assure you that our goal is not just to sign world-class players. Our goal is also to improve. We have to advance the infrastructure in the clubs, the facilities, the training methods. We must ensure that the next young Saudi Arabian players who come up play at the same modern, intense level as in the top nations. That’s what we’re concentrating on at the moment.
Michael Emelano. © AFP
2023-10-12 15:51:39
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