For football in Saudi Arabia, change is the only constant. One of the fastest growing leagues in the world has unveiled plans to take its ambitious football operations to the next level after a stellar season that saw some of the biggest players in the world move to the kingdom.
Football experienced a tectonic shift last term when superstars like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema became some of the many big names signed by Saudi Arabian clubs following a complete transformation of their domestic setup, which was triggered by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF taking control of four of the country’s most prominent clubs.
World governing body Fifa said that clubs from the kingdom were among the five biggest spenders in the international transfer market, splashing out $970 million in 2023 compared to $50.4 million in the previous year.
Now, the league has decided to focus on consolidating its position.
What changes are being made to Saudi football?
One of the main areas of focus this season will be acquiring young talent. According to the guidelines, Saudi clubs are being encouraged to develop homegrown talent and also target promising young internationals.
"By focusing on attracting younger international talent, we aim to provide our youth with the opportunity to learn from the best globally," a Saudi Pro League (SPL) spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"This strategic focus on youth players allows us to build long-term success, competitiveness, and sustainability for both the league and the clubs."
The SPL announced that the impetus this season will be mainly on young talent. In a statement, the Saudi league said their player acquisition plan helped reduce "contract termination costs and lower the average age of signed players from 29 to 27.5 years. The SPL aims to further reduce this average in the upcoming season, with a focus on signing players under the age of 21".
Also, the league plans to cut match squads from 30 to 25 players to "minimise the unwanted effect of overly deep benches, giving more opportunities to new players".
Will there still be big signings?
Fans can expect more big names being pursued by Saudi clubs this season. However, the new guidelines mean the SPL is looking to become a lot more competitive and not just a high profile destination for big names in the sport.
Are there any other changes?
Earlier, Saudi football announced a new plan for clubs. The kingdom's ministry of sport launched the latest phase of the 'sports clubs investment and privatisation project' to bring in fresh investment at 14 more clubs.
Six clubs will now be available for investments starting in August - Al Zulfi, Al Nahda, Al Okhdood, Al Ansar, Al Orouba, and Al Kholoud.
After that, eight more clubs - Al Shoalah, Hajar, Al Najmah, Al Riyadh, Al Rawdhah, Jeddah, Al Taraji, and Al Sahel - will be up for privatisation at a later stage.
Up until now, the Saudi PIF has been the main investor in football. However, reports from the kingdom state that the clubs will be available for privatisation to foreign investors as well.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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