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15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 AUGUST 2023 NEWS After raiding European football, is the Saudi league the next big thing, or simply a sport washing exercise? AMIDST the echoes of anticipation, the stage is once against set and the battle lines redrawn, as European football's big- gest leagues are back. The English and Spanish leagues re- turned this week, as Manchester City and Barcelona's title defence kicked off. For football fans, sum- mer means more than just pre-season games and training, it also means following closely the transfer market. To supporters, the transfer market repre- sents a blend of hope, anxiety, and excite- ment, intertwining with their emotional connection with the club they passionately follow. But this summer, one relatively unknown non-European league has stolen the lime- light. The Saudi Pro League dominated the headlines, as big-name players made their way to Saudi Arabia. Ruben Neves, Karim Benzema and Rob- erto Firmino all moved to clubs in Saudia Arabia for lucrative offers, playing with teams none of us ever heard of. The new chapter for the Sau- di Arabian league started last January, follow- ing football- ing great C r i s t i a n o Ronaldo's move to A l - N a s s r . Many, both in their prime and after an il- lustrious career with European giants like Real Madrid, Barcelo- na, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Mu- nich, followed the five-time Champions League winner. MaltaToday reached out to different voices in the Maltese football scene to gauge their views on how the situation in Saudi Arabia will evolve. Football pundit and veteran sports pre- senter Christian Micallef labelled it "one of the biggest shakeups in football history." "If we had to analyse this situation, I strongly feel the transfer which start- ed it all was Cristiano Ronaldo's move to the Saudi Pro League, as many players have followed his steps. Let's not forget that Ronaldo started playing with Al-Nas- sr in January and since than he has opened the floodgates for others to follow," he said. Liverpool supporter Jeremy Camilleri, a social media commentor, shared the same sentiment, saying history has shown that anywhere in the world, teams which splash the cash have managed to buy their way to success. Micallef pointed out that unlike Europe, Saudi teams have no spending cap im- posed over them, allowing them more lee- way to spend big on players. "Saudi Arabia has used billions from its Public Investment Fund over the last two-and-a-half years, spending on sports at a scale that has completely changed the international transfer mar- ket for football," he said. Cultural boundaries On whether cultural differences will im- pact the Saudi league's success, Micallef said that at first glance, it will. "The cultural setting of Saudi Arabia is greatly influenced by the Arab and Islam- ic ideals. However, if we had to indulge in the country's long-term ambition and eco- nomic strategy, it's a known fact that the Saudi government's success in 'liberating' the Saudi society from its 'closeminded- ness' is turning out to be efficacious; yet I have serious doubts if this is being done in good faith or not," he added. Camilleri also pointed out that certain players, like former Liverpool captain Jor- dan Henderson, who have advocated for certain civil rights, will now have to curb their activism given the culture in the country. Henderson secured a move to club Al-Ettifaq this summer. "The Henderson transfer is a case in point where you have a gay rights advo- cate going to play in a country in which gay relationships are considered a serious crime," he said. But Micallef feels the Saudi government is also looking to establish the country as an elite sports hub. "Although Saudi Arabia might be sports washing its dubious civil rights reputation, during the past years it has been success- fully focusing its attention to enhance its reputation as a big sports centre in the Middle East by hosting Formula 1 events, willing to host the World Cup, and now by promoting itself through the biggest inter- national football stars," he said. Camilleri, a die-hard Liverpool support- er, pointed out it would be hypocritical for Europe's major leagues to judge Saudi club spending, following decades of big-money transfers in the continent. "I have long argued in favour of a finan- cial ceiling where expenditure is capped, long before the Saudi explosion. Teams like Manchester City and Real Madrid have been getting away with twisting fi- nancial rules for years, so people getting livid over the Saudis chucking money at players must be living on Mars," he said. Is the Saudi league catching up to European giants? But while both have acknowledged the Saudi league has made great leaps, both still feel it is still a couple of steps behind European leagues. "Major European leagues are steeped in tradition, and you cannot just bankroll his- tory even though a number of European clubs have managed to buy their success," Camilleri said. "Interestingly enough, I be- lieve the Saudi idea that they can just buy their way into something that took so long to build, is actually fuelling antagonism against them." Micallef said that while Saudis are on the right track and have now established themselves among the top 10 leagues in the world, they are still far-off. "Even though Saudi Arabia is now con- sidered to be a central player in world's most lucrative sport, the European leagues will always remain at the top of the most popular football leagues in the world," he said. "Unfortunately, this revolution will only weaken the level of European football, in- cluding the main club competition - the UEFA Champions League." With Europe's major leagues returning this week, has the Saudi Pro League big summer spending stolen the limelight away? Football pundits talk to KARL AZZOPARDI Karim Benzema