Saudi Sovereign fund

[Wheelsy]

How can you talk about "just now" when you claim that they're only aiming for the world cup and then forget about football? They have started their pro league in 1976. It became fully professional in 2008. The League consists of 16 clubs with sub-Tier divisions. They have two cup tournaments. They have recruited hundreds of players from many countries around the world. You're saying that ALL this will collapse once they host the damn World Cup. I beg to differ. I also resent the big player fees and all that but I think it's not only about World Cup. I could be wrong.

Al Hilal also regularly get 60k plus at big Cup and Champions League games.
And it means nothing in the scheme of things, but they have 2/3rds of the twitter followers we have.
I don't watch a lot of Saudi football week-in week-out, but these are BIG clubs man, and with history.

This isn't a Qatar situation (I live there), where two weeks after a World Cup final, it's back down to a couple of hundred supporters watching Al Duhail v Umm Salal or whomever in the QSL.

They have the money, the fanbase, and the population for this venture to be a lot more sustainable than anything Qatar, China, or even the MLS have ever done

 

[kerem gokmen]

No, it shouldn’t. You should be allowed to spend your money. You won’t find too much sympathy for this here.

You’ve tried to suggest the Saudi clubs “don’t have history or fans”, accusations levelled at our club by know-nout journalists since 2008, and those accusations are just as bogus as the ones pointed towards us.

Al-Ittihad began play in 1925. They have higher average attendance than Chelsea and Juve.

Al-Nassr, who signed Ronaldo to wide fanfare, and also David Ospina to seemingly little fanfare, began play in 1955. Won the Asian Cup Winners Cup in 1998 as well as the Asian Super Cup. First club to win the Fair Play award in the Club World Cup in 2000.

Is a fan from Riyadh less important than a fan from Rusholme? Where on this sliding scale of fan-validity does a fan from Resadiye sit?

It’s either okay for clubs to trade players using money, or it isn’t. There’s no difference between HH Sheikh Mansour’s money, and HH Prince Mohammed’s money… just as there is no difference between HH Sheikh Mansour’s money and John Henry’s money, or Farhad Moshiri’s money, Joel Glazer’s money, David Sullivan’s money, Daniel Kretinsky’s money, Steve Parish’s money, Matthew Benham’s money, Massimo Cellino’s money, Vincent Tan’s money, Tony Bloom’s money, Stan Kroenke’s money, Wes Eden’s money, Daniel Levy’s money, Shahid Khan’s money, Andrea Radrizani’s money, Ryan Reynold’s money, or Simon Jordan’s two bob.

Money didn't become a new or rogue factor in 2022, 2008, 2003, or even 1992. It has shaped the game since the advent of professionalism, and if we want to follow the amateur game we’re welcome to, but otherwise, protesting about x, y, z clubs or individuals spending their own money how they please will get us nowhere.

At an absolute ceiling, the most restrictive policies you can enforce are various forms of FFP, or a Salary Cap or Transfer Cap. Transfer Caps have never taken off in any league, Salary Caps have been implemented to some success in a few leagues, where they make for more national competition at the expense of less international competition. It would be up to the Afc and each individual league to make those decisions.

IF, Afc decide to implement some form of FFP in Asia, I can only hope for their competition it isn’t as anti-competitive and corrupt as the version that Uefa decided to implement in Europe.

dear sir/madame
1- i did not suggested that saudi clubs dont have history. i know they gave. also saudis involved in world cups more than turkey. i was shouting at home when falatah scored in 1994. i know that saudi clubs has a history and fan base.a very good one.
2- i totally agree with you.. thanks by the way... that is brain storming. i am also confused about that issue ''new competitors coming to the market''. your comments added my knowledge.. thanks.
3- manipulation as i wrote is a very complicated matter. as you said. i can understand that you know financ eand economics. manipulation is not the good term maybe. ''ciruit braker'' can be the term maybe we should discuss. it is also complicated isnt it
4- actually if a saudi club (or two from play offs) comes to the champs league... if i am the decision maker in uefa, i d probably love the idea. that may be fun. and good for the football market. but first the saudis should present their projections. i am sure they will..
5- i have just concers about that player values...
cheers.

 

[kerem gokmen]

Even in the stock market, that would only be stock manipulation if those stocks were bought with the primary purpose to affect another specific stock where the buying party has either a conflicting relationship, or insider information.

Simply outpaying those with less money isn’t in and of itself market manipulation, that’s simply market competition, whether the business is Sports Entertainment (the business football clubs are in), fizzy pop, ink cartridges, fashion, cars, mortgages, property, antiques, art, NFTs, or even stocks & shares.

Monopolies are not always illegal either. Monopoly law is complex, and doesn’t apply to every industry, or even apply at all in some territories. State enterprises aren’t usually considered to be against local monopoly laws, for the reason you might expect. In the Saudi case, these are very much state enterprises.

State Enterprises are however something that the football authorities, different from political authorities, have decided in recent times they’re not very keen on, although at this time that’s mostly just in Europe. If the Afc decided the same thing, it would have huge ripples in the more Southeastern leagues such as Thailand, Brunei, etc, where you find a lot of police, army, civil service teams that compete in the league.

again you are right.
complicated issue
cheers.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Every club has a culture and history from the least successful to the most. Have you ever heard of Sheffield FC or Notts County?

You have a problem with other people spending money because you don't like the threat they cause to you.

I loved it when Besakshahir won the title and I love it when Galatasaray (the Man United of Turkish football) fail. You're just the same as Liverpool, Uniturd, Bayern, Real Madrid etc.

Your club and attitude is nothing like Manchester City and quite frankly I don't know what you're doing on this forum.

Harsh and unfair. The guy has helped a lot of City fans through Istanbul the last couple of weeks and God knows a lot needed help.

He has raised an interesting issue and is putting his point of view forward, politely and respectfully. From my point of view, I have no problem with financial regulation in football as long as the objectives are clear and the measures meet the objectives.

This new Saudi venture is a test of European football's principles and I imagine Europe will fail, as it always has in the past on principles. I do, however, see it as a threat and I would expect some action from ECA/ UEFA if it starts affecting Europe's attraction to young outstanding talent.

Which I don't think it will, by the way.

 

[kerem gokmen]

Every club has a culture and history from the least successful to the most. Have you ever heard of Sheffield FC or Notts County?

You have a problem with other people spending money because you don't like the threat they cause to you.

I loved it when Besakshahir won the title and I love it when Galatasaray (the Man United of Turkish football) fail. You're just the same as Liverpool, Uniturd, Bayern, Real Madrid etc.

Your club and attitude is nothing like Manchester City and quite frankly I don't know what you're doing on this forum.

1- '' what am i doing in this forum''
i just signed here mid may, since man city fans coming to my hometown. i am an oasis fan, i love city. i wanted to help. i think i was helpull; i ve helped, i dont know the number (100 fans maybe), about their hotels, transportation routes etc etc. i ve changed their bookings to better places.
nevizade: i closed the best pub there, for city fans. if nevizade had a great night, at least i have some contribution. i know i had. i helped many fans during their stay.

2- i am 43 years old. i have a computer (sinclair 48k in 84) then pcs, i play football games since 86, a regular player of champ manager since 93.... i follow premier league( i know the name came in 92) since 90. i know shef utd/wed -notts co, all of them since then. i love brit music /football.
3- basaksehir is an other issue. ceo of basaksehier is my classmate from phd. physio of basaksehir is my friend and i worked with him when i was the direktor of ASSK ( a water polo/swimming club).
i understand your joy when basaksehir wins... maybe i ll write about it later if you want. (not in public, i can write you by mail.... i gave my full name, i can not write those in public)
4- i d love if a saudi team, or teams from other part of the world to champs league. thats not my concern.
i understand you. i just have concers about this ''transfer market bubble''
have a nice weekend.

 

[kerem gokmen]

Harsh and unfair. The guy has helped a lot of City fans through Istanbul the last couple of weeks and God knows a lot needed help.

He has raised an interesting issue and is putting his point of view forward, politely and respectfully. From my point of view, I have no problem with financial regulation in football as long as the objectives are clear and the measures meet the objectives.

This new Saudi venture is a test of European football's principles and I imagine Europe will fail, as it always has in the past on principles. I do, however, see it as a threat and I would expect some action from ECA/ UEFA if it starts affecting Europe's attraction to young outstanding talent.

Which I don't think it will, by the way.

thanks.. that s ok... he is right by the way also.

i watcehd too much 'ted lasso'' :))))) hey, i can be agressive sometimes. i am not ted lasso.
cheers..

 

[SambaStyle]

Can't wait to see Benzema, Neves and Kante on loan to Newcastle for 2p in January

 

[kippaxwarrior]

£47M for Ruben Neves confirmed by Al Hilal

 

[Zabbasbeard]

1- '' what am i doing in this forum''
i just signed here mid may, since man city fans coming to my hometown. i am an oasis fan, i love city. i wanted to help. i think i was helpull; i ve helped, i dont know the number (100 fans maybe), about their hotels, transportation routes etc etc. i ve changed their bookings to better places.
nevizade: i closed the best pub there, for city fans. if nevizade had a great night, at least i have some contribution. i know i had. i helped many fans during their stay.

2- i am 43 years old. i have a computer (sinclair 48k in 84) then pcs, i play football games since 86, a regular player of champ manager since 93.... i follow premier league( i know the name came in 92) since 90. i know shef utd/wed -notts co, all of them since then. i love brit music /football.
3- basaksehir is an other issue. ceo of basaksehier is my classmate from phd. physio of basaksehir is my friend and i worked with him when i was the direktor of ASSK ( a water polo/swimming club).
i understand your joy when basaksehir wins... maybe i ll write about it later if you want. (not in public, i can write you by mail.... i gave my full name, i can not write those in public)
4- i d love if a saudi team, or teams from other part of the world to champs league. thats not my concern.
i understand you. i just have concers about this ''transfer market bubble''
have a nice weekend.

Good on you for helping City fans.

You do, though seem very concerned with clubs that you perceive not to have "culture" or "history" spending money. That's what I didn't like particularly and especially as we get it from willfully ignorant Uniturd, Liverpool and Arsenal fans. Those attitudes are not welcome here.

Friendly or helpful supporters of other clubs are well received here.

Everybody has culture and history.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

£47M for Ruben Neves confirmed by Al Hilal

They must be paying huge wages. He is only 26!