UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin believes Saudi Arabia poaching some of Europe's experienced players is a 'mistake'. The Saudi Arabia Pro League will house some of football's biggest names next season as the Middle East country continues to splash the cash.
Cristiano Ronaldo made the Saudi switch last season and has since been joined by former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema. Premier League stars such as N'Golo Kante, Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Neves, Luka Modric, Wilfried Zaha and Ilkay Gundogan have all also been linked with mega-money moves to the league in recent weeks.
Newcastle United's majority owners, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), are playing a huge role in the Saudi footballing revolution after announcing the purchase of four of the top flight's biggest clubs earlier this month. Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Ronaldo's Al Nassr are now all majority-owned by PIF.
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Huge names leaving European football will put pressure on UEFA to ensure the Champions League remains the biggest competition in the world. UEFA chief Ceferin, as such, has made his feelings clear over the swathe of expected departures this summer.
“No, no, no. I think that it’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football," he told Dutch outlet NOS. “Why is that a problem for them? Because they should invest in academies, they should bring coaches, and they should develop their own players.
“The system of buying the players that almost ended their career is not the system that develops football. It was a similar mistake in China when they all brought players who are at the end of their career.
“Tell me one player who is top, top age and who starts his career and went to play in Saudi Arabia? But it’s not about money only. Players want to win top competitions. And top competition are in Europe.”
PIF's takeover of Saudi football isn't expected to have too much impact on the day-to-day running of Newcastle. The Magpies continue to receive investment and support from the wealth fund, while Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Jamie Reuben keep a close eye on proceedings closer to home.
