The first round of matches in the new, disruptive Saudi Pro League (SPL) has been completed. The competition has received the international attention its organisers have keenly sought. Discussion of Saudi Arabia’s repressive regime has been limited, the focus instead on the football and the many stars attracted to the country. What can we now say about this project and its chances of achieving the global success it hopes for?
The money
No point beating around the bush, if the SPL becomes one of the most popular leagues in the world, money will be the most influential factor. While transfer fees have been substantial, the SPL is blowing everyone out of the water when it comes to wages. Neymar is expected to earn $200m (£157m) for a two-year stay at Al-Hilal. Jordan Henderson is on a reported $40m a year. Agents talk loosely of players being able to “times their wages by 10” if they get a move to Saudi Arabia. The head of player recruitment for the league, Michael Emenalo, says there is a budget for expenditure, though he won’t share a figure, but the eye test shows that, in effect, that budget is limitless. If the right player becomes available, the money will be found. Neither is money being spent just on playing talent but also on coaches, executives, infrastructure and marketing. As long as the SPL continues to grow, that money will remain available, and with money comes increased chance of success.
The players
It may be stating the obvious but the players recruited by the SPL are its greatest asset. There are athletes from 40 nations competing in Saudi Arabia. They have international reputations that extend beyond the league and those of its clubs. Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly bigger than his employer, Al-Nassr, something that was never the case with Real Madrid, Juventus or Manchester United. But one of the greatest names in the game appears to have accepted that his contract comes with a responsibility to promote the league and he has assumed the role of club figurehead. When he accepted the 31st title of his career in lifting the Arab Champions Cup last Saturday night, he not only made a great show of how much it meant to him but dictated the celebrations, bringing the club president and head coach to raise the trophy with him. This is powerful messaging, especially in an age of star-driven sport, and other leaders such as Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad and Jordan Henderson at Al-Ettifaq will likely imitate it.
The strategy
To have global success, you need something people want to watch and the early signs are that the SPL’s top priority is a product that looks good on a screen. Its chief operating officer, Carlo Nohra, has worked in football in the United Arab Emirates but also spent seven years at wrestling’s WWE. He describes the SPL as a form of “experiential entertainment” and talks about the importance of “narrative” in matches. So far that means something which largely imitates the Sky model for the Premier League. But expect it to develop innovations, again likely to be around its key personalities. “The whole fan experience can be a lot better,” Nohra says. “And we have to take football to the fans. We need to make sure that we are within reach of everybody who cares to watch.” This is common sense in a world of digital entertainment, but many sports struggle to understand it.
The heat
This really can’t be said enough: it has been incredibly hot in Saudi Arabia this August: 40C (104F) minimum in the day and not much lower than that in the late evening when matches kick off. And that’s before you add in the humidity. Emenalo joked after the opening match: “We’re going through the worst part of it now. And last night, everybody survived.” But the Al-Ettifaq match in Dammam almost ground to a halt owing to the conditions. Temperatures will drop over the winter yet even at lower temperatures a slow tempo will almost be mandatory. Emenalo said the SPL was not yet considering air conditioning its stadiums, a la Qatar, but may have to revisit that.
The imbalance
The SPL expanded to 18 clubs this season; in reality only four will have any hope of winning the title. Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli are the league’s historical elite and, in a move whose logic has never quite been explained, the Public Investment Fund acquired them all in June. This action appears to have enlarged the competitive gap, with all the summer’s prestige arrivals heading to the top four bar Henderson (a deal said to have been argued for by Al-Ettifaq’s Liverpool-mad president). The quality gap has also been visible on the pitch (sometimes within teams as well as between them). Emenalo says he has a keen eye on competitive balance but also that the status of the big four ought to be preserved, a difficult balance to strike for an administrator.
Politics
PIF’s arrival on the scene means it joins the Saudi Football Federation, the sports ministry and the Pro League as a key stakeholder in the competition. Each is nominally aligned under the plans outlined in the national strategy document Vision 2030, but in practice they have different priorities and each wants its say. Implementing change can be laborious, with every initiative likely to be followed another a short while later. It is perhaps issues off the pitch as much as on it that could affect the SPL’s development, and these are complications that can’t be fixed by money.
