Saudi Arabia FA interested in joining UEFA Champions League (Bloomberg)

[Alex99]

Potentially multiple, that's the point and the issue with state ownership. UK needs no added info given Newcastle, PIF just opened an office in Paris, they just caused uproar in Spain muscling into Telefonica, Italy is desperate for investment and you can see the push for bilateral relations across Europe right now with Saudi. You really think if Ceferin has any real power if he starts gets pressure from heads of state when our own PM didn't?

"The interest is small outside of Ronaldo" is a very naive thing to say. Firstly, even if it was, he's a one man marketing machine - you can't just dismiss him. Secondly, it's very easy to disprove: The most followed footballers in world football from 1st to 10th are Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, Marcelo, Ibra, Salah, Ramos, Pogba, Rodriguez. They already have No1 and 3, and then it seems a matter of time until Salah and maybe Pogba go there. That's not even factoring in Benzema, Mane, Mahrez, Henderson (lol) etc.

Not sure why you think attendance has any bearing at all on how popular the league is globally, it's not a footballing country so there will be a lag until you start to see bigger crowds, as long as the % keeps rising every year (despite bad attendances it's up 25% from last year) they will be happy but the focus is on external tv deals and commercialization of the league. But it would be the same anywhere that doesn't have the historical interest in football, that side you can't really fasttrack unless you pay fans to come (which they might end up doing). I'm not sure they care about home attendance aside from maybe wanting it for the players, they can just self sponsor the shit out of themselves so it doesn't matter for revenue and then, let's be honest, I doubt any of the big name players who moved there went for the atmosphere or crazy fan support.

UEFA might cave, but their current stance is quite clearly the opposite of the pure conjecture that you're claiming is an inevitability.

There's also a big difference between the British government stepping in to tell the FA (a British organisation) that they can't block Saudi investment in a British business, even when that business is a football club, and a European-wide, government-level conspiracy to lobby UEFA to allow Saudi clubs into the Champions League so they can receive some backhanders.

I'm not dismissing him. I'm highlighting the very obvious ticking clock of relevance that's hanging around his neck. The interest is in him playing, and he's nearly 40. I also think you're vastly overestimating interest in individual players not named Messi or Ronaldo. There simply isn't the interest in seeing Roberto Firmino or even Karim Benzema play as there is in Ronaldo. Neymar is probably the closest, but he's still not that close. I think there's a reasonable chance that the Mbappe offer starts to look like a bit of a Hail Mary attempt. Every other player there is basically on their way out of the game.

You think these shite attendance figures are a good advert for the league? We also don't even know what the viewing figures are. You've just assumed they must be good. I'd wager they're shite, especially for games that don't feature Ronaldo. TV deals rushed through in a summer doesn't equal an audience.

There's also the point that it makes little in the way of logical sense for the individual clubs in Europe to agree to any of this speculated Saudi involvement, regardless of what UEFA, their respective FAs, or European governments do.

 

[tomaldinho1]

UEFA might cave, but their current stance is quite clearly the opposite of the pure conjecture that you're claiming is an inevitability.

There's also a big difference between the British government stepping in to tell the FA (a British organisation) that they can't block Saudi investment in a British business, even when that business is a football club, and a European-wide, government-level conspiracy to lobby UEFA to allow Saudi clubs into the Champions League so they can receive some backhanders.

I'm not dismissing him. I'm highlighting the very obvious ticking clock of relevance that's hanging around his neck. The interest is in him playing, and he's nearly 40. I also think you're vastly overestimating interest in individual players not named Messi or Ronaldo. There simply isn't the interest in seeing Roberto Firmino or even Karim Benzema play as there is in Ronaldo. Neymar is probably the closest, but he's still not that close. I think there's a reasonable chance that the Mbappe offer starts to look like a bit of a Hail Mary attempt. Every other player there is basically on their way out of the game.

You think these shite attendance figures are a good advert for the league? We also don't even know what the viewing figures are. You've just assumed they must be good. I'd wager they're shite, especially for games that don't feature Ronaldo. TV deals rushed through in a summer doesn't equal an audience.

There's also the point that it makes little in the way of logical sense for the individual clubs in Europe to agree to any of this speculated Saudi involvement, regardless of what UEFA, their respective FAs, or European governments do.

Yes...just like the stance on Newcastle was clear, just as {insert broken promise here} changed quickly. UEFA has a history of corruption, that is a fact, and I am counting on that stance changing.

Of course it is conjecture, that's what 99% of this forum is, I gave you some data points but if you don't agree that's completely fine. I guess we will see how things transpire with Saudi over the next couple of seasons and if it falls flat on its face (as you suggest) as you suggest. Seems an odd take given they just won the WC as well but you could be right, no one knows.

You have zero data points, as you acknowledge on viewing figures, and yet you also are able to say unequivocally there is no interest in seeing these other players. Makes complete sense.

I thought this quite rash style of post was familiar and just realised you're the guy who refused to acknowledge Rashford's studs made contact with the Copenhagen player, despite posting a video proving your self wrong, and sabotaged a thread with nonsensical replies. Consider me checked out.

 

[Alex99]

Yes...just like the stance on Newcastle was clear, just as {insert broken promise here} changed quickly. UEFA has a history of corruption, that is a fact, and I am counting on that stance changing.

Of course it is conjecture, that's what 99% of this forum is, I gave you some data points but if you don't agree that's completely fine. I guess we will see how things transpire with Saudi over the next couple of seasons and if it falls flat on its face (as you suggest) as you suggest. Seems an odd take given they just won the WC as well but you could be right, no one knows.

You have zero data points, as you acknowledge on viewing figures, and yet you also are able to say unequivocally there is no interest in seeing these other players. Makes complete sense.

I thought this quite rash style of post was familiar and just realised you're the guy who refused to acknowledge Rashford's studs made contact with the Copenhagen player, despite posting a video proving your self wrong, and sabotaged a thread with nonsensical replies. Consider me checked out.

There are data points on desire to see the players. The shite matchday attendances, which you dismissed out of hand.

What data points did you give me? Instagram followers and a season of TV rights with no accompanying viewing figures?

It's obvious the Saudis want some sort of seat at the "elite" table, but it simply isn't in the interest of the clubs, regardless of what dealings the Saudis can do with governments and sporting bodies.

You might be right, and if you are, it'll be a very dark day for football.

I also don't think club takeovers and world cup hosts are remotely comparable to what we're (pointlessly) discussing here. A reminder that the source of "news" that sparked this discussion is a muppet on twitter.

It's also daft to repeatedly respond to baseless tweets by absolute nobodies with "I knew this would happen!" then get worked up when someone points out how baseless it all is.

I don't think I've posted in a particularly "rash" manner, but it seems you're quite delicate.

 

[Bucephalus74]

I'm ok with Saudi clubs playing in the CL, if, and only if, Saudi fully joins UEFA. If Australia can be a part of Asia for footballing purposes, Saudi can be part of Europe. But I mean fully. Al Hilal might get to be in the CL, but the price is that Saudi will never qualify for a World Cup again, and they'll have to start supporting the women's game like other UEFA clubs and countries.

If Saudi wants to join Europe, then god bless them, it might even make the world a better place. If Saudi wants to put chequebook teams in the European CL while still getting to qualify for the World Cup through Asia and tell Europe to stop imposing foreign values on them, well, they can feck off.

 

[Ish]

The ease in which Saudi clubs will navigate FFP is precisely why no club in UEFA will want them.

City (and now Newcastle) already make almost no effort to hide how dodgy their sponsors are.

yeah I believe so too. I mean, at the end of the day money talks for these organisations. The right bribes/benefits in the right pockets and you’re just about able to get anything done/bend any rule.

Ultimately I don’t think it’ll be happen - not because uefa won’t allow it but because the mega clubs/most European clubs will almost certainly boycott it.

Wouldn't fly though, the simple fact that multiple Saudi Clubs are owned by the PIF means they would be under heavy scrutiny in itself.

As much as UEFA FFP rules are rather lackluster, other clubs would kick up a huge fuss should UEFA ever allow this to happen. We have already seen that UEFA are under the clubs influence more than they should be.

See above. Agreed that it won’t be uefa’s decision ultimately. The European clubs won’t allow it.