So the latest news is that a Saudi team (Al Hilal FWIW) have made a £259m bid for Mbappe and this comes after several other high-profile payers have signed for Saudi teams this summer (Kante, Neves, Koulibaly, Mendy, Jota, Firminho, Silva, Zaha, Pogba, Henderson, Fabinho, Telles, Mahrez and Saint-Maxxim being the most high profile players). I don't like where this is going - just buying their way into football. I wonder how long it will take until UEFA receive a big bag of money to let Saudi teams into the Campion's League? And the European Super League becomes a thing again, only with Saudi teams in it. It stinks.
I think they will flatter to deceive for a year or two, then fade away like the Chinese league did.
You need more than money to build a successful league, you need fans in grounds, rivalries and passion to sell even to TV audiences. The world might sit up and take notice of the transfer fees, but nobody is going to sit up and notice the football.
I dont get the problem. Football at every level is about money. My son is 13 and has a value on his head. A coach has even talked to me about how he is an asset that they hope to sell on.
The whole middle east is where the game is going to see its next growth. A few years back it was the USA but that hasnt really taken off in quite the same way as they dont have quite as much cash to throw at it.
Its a shame that UK clubs are not investing more money in developing the women's game
All current top flight teams across the world are billionaires buying their way in. Until recently Chelsea spent two decades being funded (probably) by the Russian mob.
Its a global world, if people want to watch the worlds best players in a competitive close league on their TVs, the location and bank roll is fairly irrelevent.
If you want a centuries old rivalry between two cities, or two halves of one city, fierecly contested by locals of that city; you already have to look away from the top of the PL, la liga etc.
I think they will flatter to deceive for a year or two, then fade away like the Chinese league did.
I was just going to say the same. 10 years ago it was China, 20 years ago it was America. This will be the same.
Every football fan in the World knows about the rivalry between Man Yoo and Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal or El Classico and how the history of those clubs and fixtures make those matches what they are
Nobody gives a flying **** about Al Hilal v Al Ittihad and they never will, no matter how much money they throw at it
only for a year as well isn't it, then he'll be allowed to join Madrid
If you want a centuries old rivalry between two cities, or two halves of one city, fierecly contested by locals of that city; you already have to look away from the top of the PL, la liga etc.
That doesnt exist any where in European leagues unfortunately. Players find their level in which ever league and play for the club that whats them or pays them. There is zero allegiance or loyalty to any club unfortunately. (more the clubs fault than players)
See also, every other popular global (non American exclusive) sport. Golf and F1 spring to mind.
Money is the boss these days so far as big star players and managers are concerned. The effect is to make it very difficult to compete in the champions league etc if you're not at the top of of 3 or 4 domestic leagues. It happened to many countries 30 years ago or more, now it's happening again.
The good news is that with proper management so called lesser domestic leagues can not only get by but grow.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11781/12810174/scottish-football-tops-european-attendance-per-capita-table-ahead-of-second-placed-netherlands
Kante, Neves, Koulibaly, Mendy, Jota, Firminho, Silva, Zaha, Pogba, Henderson, Fabinho, Telles, Mahrez and Saint-Maxxim being the most high profile players
All either not really that good or at the end of their careers, so a sort of very well paid semi-retirement. Its not like they've just signed the likes of Bellingham and Haaland, is it?
All of the players on that list will be instantly forgotten the second the Premier League and Champions League kick off again.
They'll have a couple of years kicking about in a sandpit to an audience of pretty much nobody, while making millions, then quietly retire.
Jordon Henderson is on £700,000 a week FFS?! 😂
I'm a huge football fan but in terms of things I'm not remotely bothered about:
- a Saudi/Qatari league containing a load of footballers/hypocrites nearing the ends of their careers and/or just wanting a massive pay day playing in front of tiny crowds in empty stadiums
- whats on Channel 5 at the minute
- what you're eating for dinner
- Suella Braverman in the crosshairs of a trained sniper
Jordon Henderson is on £700,000 a week FFS?!
As hypocritical as the champagne socialist that is Gary Neville...
I'd say that given his previous outspoken stance on LGBT+ rights, Jordon Henderson has just elevated himself to a whole new level of hypocrisy
Unless he plans to be a martyr.
"As hypocritical as the champagne socialist that is Gary Neville…"
Better a champagne socialist that a coke-snorting Tory though.
Sports washing is fine, it's the buying political influence that's the bigger concern. Hopefully, this just brings attention to how corruption works to more people.
See also, every other popular global (non American exclusive) sport. Golf and F1 spring to mind.
And cycling, let's not forget cycling, it too is not immune from state-sponsored sportswashing
Bahrain Victorious
Israel-Premier Tech
Jayco-AlUla
UAE Team Emirates
Astana Qazaqstan
I'd be quite surprised if Mbappe actually goes there - as Binners says, all of the players that have actually moved are nearing the end of their careers, or aren't really top tier players anyway.
Though I hope that the Saudi league fails like the Chinese attempt did, the sportswashing is real and happening regardless 😞 Yes, shame on individuals & clubs for taking the money, but the main issue is the governments and sporting bodies that are allowing clubs and leagues to be brought up. They are less visible but far more culpable.
Not sure what I'd do if my club was brought by a despotic regime but it would be a sad day.
Its debatable whether you think Mbappe has been playing in a Mickey Mouse league for the last few years anyway, so the only thing that will change is he won't be playing in the Champions League
And while doing so he's been paid his enormous wage by dodgy human rights abusers, so not much would be changing here for him
I can't see him going though. Everyone and his dog knows he's just going to see out his contract and go to Real on a free at the end of this season
And cycling, let’s not forget cycling, it too is not immune from state-sponsored sportswashing
Bahrain Victorious
Israel-Premier Tech
Jayco-AlUla
UAE Team Emirates
Astana Qazaqstan
Soon to be joined by Saudi NEOM Visma if reports are to be believed.
Not billions being chucked around in cycling yet though, is there?
Not billions being chucked around in cycling yet though, is there?
I dont know if that really makes a difference does it? If anything selling out on the cheap is worse. At least make the human rights abusers pay properly.
great podcast on this from last year if anyones interested - https://freakonomics.com/podcast/what-is-sportswashing-and-does-it-work/
I’d be quite surprised if Mbappe actually goes there
I wouldn't be. He's admitted he'll happily sit on the bench at PSG and not play for a year - doesn't exactly scream professionalism to me.
Has he admitted that? I thought it was PSG who have said they will sit him on the bench if he doesn't get sold, he just hasn't blinked yet.
He has become a spoiled brat at PSG (maybe he was before), but PSG are the bigger idiots in this farce.
He’s admitted he’ll happily sit on the bench at PSG and not play for a year – doesn’t exactly scream professionalism to me.
Is that not the exact definition of professsionalism in this case? Happy to sell himself as a commodity to the highest bidder.
A true football lover would take a paycut for more game time, would carry on playing at a lesser level late in their career, would move into coaching/managing despite having no financial need to do so.
The thing with China though, as far as I understand it, is that they are desperate to make a significant statement on the work stage. I suspect the league thing was part of the overall strategy to try and give the programme a boost but there is a lot going on at the grass roots level to groom and develop young players to become good enough for China to win the work cup in a "few years" (probably 1000) time. They would appear to be taking a similar approach to the way they develop all their athletes and are being ruthless about talent spotting and discarding if not making the grade / putting the work in.
Like others have said though, the Saudi thing does seem more about trying to gain acceptability in the world of sport and probably improve their game. But mostly the only players going there are those who are on the brink of retiring and getting themselves a nice payout for it. Based on what I saw in the world cup though, I suspect the intensity of the football matches is a lot higher than what we saw when the US were starting out and where players like Beckham were probably no ,more taxed than they would in a training game
Tis pro sport. Wrong at some level in almost any sport. Meh
I find the whole thing a bit odd. Until recently the ultra rich with dodgy money bought big name toys - Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle, and sprinkled them in glitter. A bit like buying a Rolex or a Rolls Royce, but going custom with gaudy diamond studding. Or breeding race horses and doing the rounds of the world's most prestigious race course winners enclosures. It was filthy, debouched and cringy but essentially it was bored rich brats filling their time. It lost rather than made money but bought you a hard on and people cheered and you basked in reflected glory. But now - it just seems to have shifted through the gears but I'm not sure what the point is. Filling an empty stadium with has been show ponies for a club no one has ever heard of or cares about in an irrelevant league - where's the cache? Where's the reflected glory in an echoing stadium and a match report on some backwater website? It's like pimping a Casio rather than a Rolex. Same for the LIV golf concept too - don't buy one of the majors, just invent a random list of competitions and spunk enough cash at a few players until they 'enter' it.
I guess it's only a success if fans are won over and forget about the chopping up of journalists and popping them in holdalls inconvenient truth bit. Or the stoning to death bit. Or....well pretty much all of the rest of it. I'd like to say it won't happen but I'd imagine your average Newcastle fan already feels all benevolent to the Saudi's after a bit of a tummy tickle so it probably will.
The whole western world has been bankrolling the Saudi regime for decades and without the vast profits they make selling oil the current situation wouldn't have been possible. I'm no fan of the Saudi's, their oppressive laws and customs or the radical version of Islam they have promoted all over the world for years (I am a lifelong Newcastle fan) but we've pretty much all had a hand in enabling them to get to this point
I thought it was PSG who have said they will sit him on the bench if he doesn’t get sold, he just hasn’t blinked yet
With the caveat that there are no good guys in this, all he’s doing is honouring his contract.
Its PSG are having a hissy fit about it as they want to cash in. They should have thought about that when they paid 700 squillion euros for him. See also: Paul Pogba. Someone else off to cash in in Saudi.
Anyway.. it’s a bit bloody rich for the owners of PSG to be bleating about being the ones at the wrong end of dodgy oil riches for a change
They aren't particularly selling this to the western market. There are Saudi fans but they are also selling this to the rest of the world, and doing that by bringing in household names who have a worldwide fan base is sensible. This is part of the big modernisation push including opening up tourism outside of the hajj. The whole point of the NEOM is to make Saudi a tourism destination, not for you that wants to sit on the beach getting ratted on cheap/expensive booze but for an increasingly affluent eastern market.
NEOM is not a resort. It's supposed to be a sustainable, carbon neutral, crossborder, techno-crypto high speed city that will something something something. There is no strategy around NEOM. It's a totally redundant money pit that no-one who's getting paid to do it will object to.
It's not a resort but it's tied I to the plan to make NW Saudi a destination.
It’s not a resort but it’s tied I to the plan to make NW Saudi a destination.
Yep, I am sure a tour of failed megaprojects will attract some visitors.
I’m more concerned about the political influence they are buying. They already have the king wrapped round their cash filled fingers. How many MPs and ministers are in the same position
Yep, I am sure a tour of failed megaprojects will attract some visitors.
TBF some people do go to visit the site of the Aral Sea.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea
I’m more concerned about the political influence they are buying.
That ship sailed in the 70's, I'm afraid...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p02gyz6b/bitter-lake
They keep the oil taps turned on to the west and in return they get to do whatever the **** they like.
I was talking about this the other week with someone at work. What I don't understand for the majority of these players is except for the money what as re they getting out of it. I know I've answered my own question but I'm pretty sure all of the above mentioned names have more money than they could ever want. I get they are getting a boat load more but they don't need it and they have to live in Saudi with everything that entails, even in some super-rich enclave. I actually admire Messi a bit more for saying sod that, I'm going to live it up in Miami (even if it wasn't the reason)
I get they are getting a boat load more
Jordon Henderson is seeing out his career on three quarters of a million quid a week
JORDAN ****ING HENDERSON!! 😳
My brain can’t process this stuff. Too much to comprehend - not many Championship clubs would want Henderson, yet he’ll get more money (tax free) than any one of us would get in 10 or 15 years in a couple of weeks - or much more. Within a few months he’ll earn more money than every one of us on here combined will earn in a lifetime.
And the most bonkers thing about it is that if he’d have gone to a mid table Championship side, he’d have about a million times as many people watching him play as he will have at Beheadings United
It's the speed they're going at that's surprising most, it's unreal the money spent this summer, but the reality is that it's probably the best time for them to make this impact, you have FFP coming in hard for teams, and Saudi clubs paying top money for players and wages that'll shift anyone, it's a dream come true for those teetering on the edge of FFP with players on large salaries not desperate to move.
As for going the way of the USA or China, well the USA was trying to get into a bigger market and didn't, China was awash with new money and spending it, until they hit a huge recession, Saudi won't have either of those, it has no need to 'break' into a large market, and the PIF that owns most of the clubs is struggling to build their assets with the money they have.
Personally, i know Saudi, Qatar, etc have a bad reputation, but change won't happen unless they need to for a reason, and i guess the more they take up western ways and open their doors to this, the more chance that the next generation may be more open to change, it'll not happen overnight, but the middle east does seem to be opening up a little in certain areas.
You could be right. Give it another 50 years and they may consider letting women come and watch a match
I think you’re right about clubs offloading players. What was Pogba getting paid? And he was actually on the pitch for how long last season? 20 minutes? I bet they couldn’t wait to see the back of him. I know we couldn’t! I wonder if any of them fancy Harry Maguire?
Talking of FFP, I wonder if any eyebrows will be raised when Newcastle get £6 billion for Saint-Maximin 😂
