The road along which the Saudi Pro League is speeding is a familiar one; over the past half century the United States, Japan and China have been down this way before. But this time it feels different.
Where the North American Soccer League failed to encourage the majority Stateside to embrace the game in the 1970s, the J.League’s experiment with highly-paid foreigners sowing the seeds for future development continues to pay off handsomely.
It is to China and the country’s boom and subsequent bust that the kingdom’s money-drenched experiment is most often compared as it mirrors the efforts to entice high-profile players, many near the peak of their powers, and for gargantuan sums.
There are plenty of parallels and lessons to be heeded if Saudi Arabia is to avoid a similar fate. Importantly, though, there are reasons to believe the differences between the countries are significant enough that the pitfalls may never arise.
While the ambitions are similar – to establish themselves as global football powers and enhance reputations through success on the field – the two nations start from differing positions.
Saudi Arabia has launched its move while already a member of Asia’s elite, having qualified for six World Cups and winning the Asian Cup on three occasions. The country also has an enviable record in Asian club competitions.
China has a fitful history of success that runs contrary to expectations that a country with such a large population should produce national teams capable of mixing with the game’s best.
But China has a troubled relationship with football. Corruption and poor performances by the national team long ago turned the fan base against the sport, with impatience undermining attempts to climb the Fifa rankings.
Wider government policy, too, has hindered forward momentum, with the long-term damage done by the One Child Policy creating an ageing nation and a populace reluctant to allow their children to commit to much beyond education.
Saudi Arabia does not have those issues, where an already passionate and fertile environment should only encourage greater success.
The story of China’s rise and fall is cautionary nonetheless.
Its genesis lay in the months leading up to Xi Jinping’s ascent to power in 2011 and a declaration made by the president-in-waiting that he wanted China to qualify for the World Cup, host the tournament and, eventually, produce a team capable of winning the title.
That proclamation set private enterprise off on a race to deliver Xi’s dream in the hope there would be positive political repercussions for those who played key roles in making that wish come true.
Before long most aspects of Chinese big business were engaging with the game, none more so than the property sector. With access to considerable finance – the vast majority debt-fuelled – developers were quickly involved in a battle to out-spend one another.
After an accelerated build-up, Chinese football’s peak was to last approximately two years.
The summit was reached with Guangzhou Evergrande’s second Asian Champions League title in three years in 2015 under Marcello Lippi and the country remained on top until Shanghai Shenhua agreed in late 2016 to spend £635,000 a week to bring in Carlos Tevez.
From that lofty position Chinese football has fallen into virtual destitution in less than a decade.
China’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been blamed, but in truth a slow-motion collapse had already started, with regulatory battles between club owners and the authorities doing significant damage.
As the 2023 Chinese Super League campaign kicked off in April, Lippi and the other high profile coaches, as well as most of the players who had joined during the boom years, were gone.
Guangzhou, the dominant force during the cash-rich era, were relegated a year after owners Evergrande withdrew their funding due to growing concerns surrounding the company’s spiralling debt.
So could something similar happen in Saudi Arabia once the spending frenzy subsides?
Much will depend on how long the political will remains to fund the current spree. Like in China, the Saudi Pro League is unlikely to generate the funds – through broadcast deals and sponsorship – needed by clubs to continue spending at current levels. But with the government, and especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, leading the charge, the chances of Saudi Arabia following China along a similar downward path are slim.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
