The assumption is that Uefa will get enough incentives to enable them to do so...
Saudi signing wave: What are the implications? Is it weakening the Premier League?
- Thread starter justsomebloke
- Start date
Surely you're not suggesting UEFA would be corrupt? Such a virtuous organization.
Surely you're not suggesting UEFA would be corrupt? Such a virtuous organization.
seriously though,
When this will be tested,
I wonder whether fans will be so vehemently against it that they'll have no choice but to bin the idea (as was the case with the Super League).
They are not European nor playing in Europe. It wouldn’t be fair to leagues in other regions
Hasn’t the uefa head directly come out and already said no to such an idea/proposal? Sure, things could definitely change in future (when nudged hard enough)….but yeah I can’t see it happening without a massive outcry, similar to the super league idea.
Even if Saudi bought the entire United first team and recreated Old Trafford in the desert brick by brick...I would still probably skip the full matches and just watch the highlights on YouTube.
Point is, I don't think many fans of the Premier League will care enough to tune into the Saudi League to watch a 39 year old Ronaldo and a 36 year old Benzema kick a ball around in the desert.
There is a limit to the amount of interest they can generate.
Point is, I don't think many fans of the Premier League will care enough to tune into the Saudi League to watch a 39 year old Ronaldo and a 36 year old Benzema kick a ball around in the desert.
There is a limit to the amount of interest they can generate.
To be honest, I don't know of any scenario in which it will work without the Saudis.
There are only 2: Either wild cards for the pro clubs, or there will be a Super League with far higher bonuses than what JP Morgan offered for the ESL back then.
And the Spanish and Italian bankrupt clubs will not be able to refuse that. Maybe Newcastle will also be there. And I see no reason why the Arab colleagues at PSG, City and perhaps soon United should have anything against it.
Even if that doesn't work, there are still alternatives. You found your own Superleague. You bring struggling traditional clubs on board, with a large fan base from different countries, such as Schalke, Marseille, 1860, Redstar...., maybe some Turkish, Portuguese, Russian etc.. Other successful Arabs like the Egyptian al-Ahly... With occasional guests from Latin America...
Or you can just wait and watch as the FFP kills the European clubs.
Because with the shackles of the FFP, there is a risk in Europe of losing everything that has rank and name to the Saudis.
And without FFP it won't work because it will kill almost all clubs. What remains are a handful of state clubs like Newcastle (KSA), PSG (QAT), City (UAE) and perhaps United if the Qataris have their say here.
Even if the EU were to start introducing any laws, it wouldn't achieve anything. Then everyone would retreat back to the Middle East, but there they would start doing the same things as the Saudis. Then you not only lose rank and name, but also the second row of players. And then at the latest, you will be ready to work together. Like in golf.
There are only 2: Either wild cards for the pro clubs, or there will be a Super League with far higher bonuses than what JP Morgan offered for the ESL back then.
And the Spanish and Italian bankrupt clubs will not be able to refuse that. Maybe Newcastle will also be there. And I see no reason why the Arab colleagues at PSG, City and perhaps soon United should have anything against it.
Even if that doesn't work, there are still alternatives. You found your own Superleague. You bring struggling traditional clubs on board, with a large fan base from different countries, such as Schalke, Marseille, 1860, Redstar...., maybe some Turkish, Portuguese, Russian etc.. Other successful Arabs like the Egyptian al-Ahly... With occasional guests from Latin America...
Or you can just wait and watch as the FFP kills the European clubs.
Because with the shackles of the FFP, there is a risk in Europe of losing everything that has rank and name to the Saudis.
And without FFP it won't work because it will kill almost all clubs. What remains are a handful of state clubs like Newcastle (KSA), PSG (QAT), City (UAE) and perhaps United if the Qataris have their say here.
Even if the EU were to start introducing any laws, it wouldn't achieve anything. Then everyone would retreat back to the Middle East, but there they would start doing the same things as the Saudis. Then you not only lose rank and name, but also the second row of players. And then at the latest, you will be ready to work together. Like in golf.
That would be the (financial) appreciation that the female players have always wanted.
I would be interested to know how high her salary is there compared to her previous club. It would be much easier to completely take over women's football than men's football. I'm just wondering who is actually interested in women's football. Especially in the Middle East.
I rarely go after posters so personally but this lad joined the Caf to whitewash Saudi, chat whataboutist bullshit (yes, we do sentence teenagers to death in Saudi Arabia for peaceful protests, but have you heard about George Floyd and the massacres of Aztecs?) and go with this gaslighting-absurd narrative “I see no way football works without Saudis”. Literally all his posts are Saudi bootlicking with a single post outside this thread - and that post is calling MLS shit
I’ve seen this level of copium only among insecure Saudi teenagers on Twitter trying to convince everyone their league is relevant because Benzema and Neymar are still ranked 90 at FIFA, impressive.also, what the feck is that bolder part supposed to mean, I really wonder
who is “you” in your example, that’s founding the “superleague” including 1860, Krasnodar and Trabzonspor? Renegades that don’t accept Saudis in the Champions League? Dream on, your plastic league is going one place only, and that’s where Chinese and Russian league already are.I rarely go after posters so personally but this lad joined the Caf to whitewash Saudi, chat whataboutist bullshit (yes, we do sentence teenagers to death in Saudi Arabia for peaceful protests, but have you heard about George Floyd and the massacres of Aztecs?) and go with this gaslighting-absurd narrative “I see no way football works without Saudis”. Literally all his posts are Saudi bootlicking with a single post outside this thread - and that post is calling MLS shit
also, what the feck is that bolder part supposed to mean, I really wonder
Another person accusing me of nonsensical things. I'm here to talk about football. Otherwise, the perfect thread for someone getting paid would be the Henderson thread. I'm not interested in that. There are lots of good political forums, maybe this would be something for you. I never started political drivel here.
Someone who accuses others of “whataboutism” doesn’t want to face their double standards. The double standards of the Western media and its loyal following, who question nothing, are a terrible evil. Only hatred against competitors is constantly being stirred up. Either I condemn both sides consistently, or I hold back.
I have huge respect for someone like Rio Ferdinand. He recognized it. And demonstratively said, "If I were still playing football, I would switch to the SPL straight away." Or was he paid for it?
Let's see when the World Cup starts in the USA whether the media will start a smear campaign here like against Qatar, China (Olympia), Russia (2018) etc. And whether the torture facilities and concentration camps in the USA will be mentioned. Or one of their 500 wars of aggression is addressed. Or the hunt for critical journalists and whistleblowers and everything else bad that happens there. Like the opiate crisis, poverty, racism, police violence, the development of a caste society, etc. I'm sure: NONE of this will be mentioned. It will be pretended how great and progressive everything is here.
I won't go along with this double standard. As long as you aspire to be the measure of all goodness. Also give up the claim to the rule of law! Why do you need it if you rate it based on likeability?
I rarely go after posters so personally but this lad joined the Caf to whitewash Saudi, chat whataboutist bullshit (yes, we do sentence teenagers to death in Saudi Arabia for peaceful protests, but have you heard about George Floyd and the massacres of Aztecs?) and go with this gaslighting-absurd narrative “I see no way football works without Saudis”. Literally all his posts are Saudi bootlicking with a single post outside this thread - and that post is calling MLS shit
also, what the feck is that bolder part supposed to mean, I really wonder
The thread is about the implications of Saudi's transfer market spending spree, not the politics of the country. Create another thread for that please if you want to discuss it so as not to derail with this one.
eh, the russian league is banned because the regime feckin invaded Ukraine. Not really relevant at all to the saudi situation.I rarely go after posters so personally but this lad joined the Caf to whitewash Saudi, chat whataboutist bullshit (yes, we do sentence teenagers to death in Saudi Arabia for peaceful protests, but have you heard about George Floyd and the massacres of Aztecs?) and go with this gaslighting-absurd narrative “I see no way football works without Saudis”. Literally all his posts are Saudi bootlicking with a single post outside this thread - and that post is calling MLS shit
also, what the feck is that bolder part supposed to mean, I really wonder
If the Saudis indeed intend to turn their league into a competition on par with the European leagues, they are pursuing a lost cause. The football played in this league is of a subpar standard and regardless how many players they get in, it will remain so. Because no player actually gives a feck if they win a title or not. They are in for the money not for the glory. And that's crucial. Elite football lives from both external and internal competition: Players fighting for their spots and trying to build a legacy. At this level, regardless how good you are, unprofessionalism like eating unhealthy stuff or going to bed lately will make the difference. Now does anybody believe Neymar - who found it difficult to stay fit playing for European top teams - finds the intrinsic motivation to do so in the Saudi League?
That is something you cannot buy. And to be honest, I doubt the Saudis are even under the illusion they could. European football was built over decades. Players from football countries are spoonfed the desire to win the UCL, the WC, the EPL, etc. from their childhood days. The clubs at the top not only have money, they have an extremely competitive culture. All those things can't just be bought in. Sure, the Saudis will land mega signings and that will gather attention which is exactly what they want. But the players who join them have essentially given up their careers. The teams won't be as good and the players themselves will diminish quickly in quality as well.
And that aside: 90% of German football fans I know would rather watch a relegation battle of their domestic league than Barcelona vs. Madrid, even when Messi and CR7 were playing there. And I bet it is the same in other countries. Football is a local phenomenon, at least here in Europe. I see absolutely no way how signing superstars could make the Saudi League even remotely interesting for those audiences.
1. They have Neymar and co. not brought in to play football. There are strategic reasons for this before it goes into a second phase. We'll see how it develops further.
2. As a Leverkusen fan, are you the best example of how soulless constructs can also attract fans if they are successful?
The SPL clubs are not even constructs. This also existed before PIF. These are the most successful clubs in Asia with a large fan base.
Red Bull didn't choose Leipzig at random, for example. Leipzig was chosen because there is no top football in East Germany and they saw great potential in it. The people in the region are longing for top-class football. For example, if you had chosen a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, there wouldn't be 2k viewers. It would be even worse than Wolfsburg!
And what is the potential in Asia, Africa and the Middle East? It's gigantic. I just wonder why the Saudis didn't do this sooner.
3. I agree with you on your 90% example. I'm one of those myself.
But these clubs are also successful without us. And who says that we, as a tiny minority, are the target group? Are we the center of the world?
I claim that there are 85% event fans in the world, the rest are firmly tied to clubs.
4. Okay, then pay the players the same amount as they would get in South America and see how many of the stars are still interested in coming here and leaving everything behind them. Playing in the Copa Libertadores used to be the biggest thing for Latinos, but they still chose the higher salary in Europe. Anyway, I think the “UCL argument” is greatly overrated. How often did players from Bundesliga, Seria A, Lique 1, La Liga or Liga Nos move to mid-table teams (or even further down) in the EPL, even though they could have played with their clubs in the UCL? The best staff always go where there is the best salary. It was never different.
Thats actually a good post. I'm surprised at how dismissive some people are about the threat of the Saudi league.
The growth of the premier league was massively accelerated by the influx of Russian (Chelsea), Middle Eastern (Man City, Newcastle, Sheffield) and Asian (Wolves, Leicester City, Cardiff) money. Last years UCL finalists were owned by individuals from the Middle East and China. What happens if they cut back on their investments and take their money elsewhere?
The argument that ultimately it's about history or competitive culture doesn't fly. otherwise Man City would have never made it. Recent transfers of Danilo and Carlos Alcaraz just highlight that. Southampton and Nottingham Forest certainly don't have more history and culture than Racing Club and Palmeiras. The rise of the premier league relative to Seria A and other leagues in Europe over the last 20 years should give an indication of what happens when another league comes with a load of cash and blows you out of the water.
Last edited:
I don’t see it as a serious threat to the EPL or the CL, for several reasons.
The players won’t like it. Saudi is a tough and pretty unpleasant place to live, even if you’re in luxury villas on compounds.Their girlfriends won’t get visas. There’s nowhere to meet girls, or drink, or gamble, or club…the stadiums are small and largely empty. They’ll be playing in a crap league with some poor players and very few genuinely competitive games, which might jeopardize getting into their NT.
Yes, the money is great, but it’s not everything and they’re pretty well paid in Europe too
The SPL clubs have no fans and no history. No local players. No academies. They’ll never meet FFP. It takes decades to build a decent footie culture, as China found out. Even then, I think it unlikely that European fans will engage with the SPL because we have our own great leagues, and the audience in the GCC countries isn’t big enough to be interesting.
I think the Saudis hope they can bully football as they’ve bullied pro golf. But I’m not sure they can. Footie is much bigger, more powerful, more fan driven and differently structured. I’d rather watch a championship match with history, meaning and proper bite than one between two sides of mercenaries who probably can’t even remember which ‘Al-‘ they’re playing for.
The players won’t like it. Saudi is a tough and pretty unpleasant place to live, even if you’re in luxury villas on compounds.Their girlfriends won’t get visas. There’s nowhere to meet girls, or drink, or gamble, or club…the stadiums are small and largely empty. They’ll be playing in a crap league with some poor players and very few genuinely competitive games, which might jeopardize getting into their NT.
Yes, the money is great, but it’s not everything and they’re pretty well paid in Europe too
The SPL clubs have no fans and no history. No local players. No academies. They’ll never meet FFP. It takes decades to build a decent footie culture, as China found out. Even then, I think it unlikely that European fans will engage with the SPL because we have our own great leagues, and the audience in the GCC countries isn’t big enough to be interesting.
I think the Saudis hope they can bully football as they’ve bullied pro golf. But I’m not sure they can. Footie is much bigger, more powerful, more fan driven and differently structured. I’d rather watch a championship match with history, meaning and proper bite than one between two sides of mercenaries who probably can’t even remember which ‘Al-‘ they’re playing for.
They are rich. They will have opportunities. You really think the ruling class in Saudi doesn’t drink, smoke, party and meet girls?
Soon the 250 best footballers in the world will be divided into SPL and UEFA. We can ignore it, but this will cause massive damage to UEFA and will also have a major impact on its revenue. And we'll see whether dear Aleksander will still throw around cool sayings like "China" and "pensioner".
It's exactly the same procedure as golf. In the end you will be forced to get along and work together. Nobody seriously believes that it will work without the Saudis.
Footballers are treated almost like diplomats there. For the girlfriend of Neymar, CR7 and co. exceptions were made. In KSA it is normally forbidden for unmarried couples to live in the same household. And Dubai and Doha are just around the corner.
The stadiums will all be completely newly built or renovated and fully air-conditioned. That's the smallest problem for the Saudis anyway.
Take a look at the stadiums in Seria A, L1, LaLiga, or Portugal! Except for a handful of modern stadiums, the rest consists of small, outdated barracks.
And full stadiums are only available for the 4-5 top clubs anyway. And only when they play at home.
Crazy stadium occupancy only occurs in Germany and partly England. Take a look at Gladbach! A 250k small town fills a stadium with 55k almost every weekend!
On average, every fifth citizen attends the game on the weekend. This is a unique phenomenon in the world. You can't expect something like that from the Saudis. And it's not bad either. They have other strengths.
You should get more information! How can the most successful clubs in Asia not have history and fans? Have you seen the Hilal vs Ittihad game? They almost burned the stadium down. The referee had to interrupt several times. These are real Clasicos like those we know from South America.
The NT argument is nonsense. The stars there don't all play in one club like PSG in the L1. They are divided into 5-6 teams. And even the small clubs have well-known players that we still know from the top European leagues. And they are guaranteed to increase over time. The density of the league is already at a stable level.
Speaking of L1: Khabib Diallo, scored 20 goals for Strasbourg last season. Now plays in KSA for Shabab, who have a very good squad. Guess how many goals he scored after 5 match days! Not even an assist. I know it doesn't have to mean anything, but at least these are the few numbers that could perhaps be used to derive something. Or things like Fateh FC, a noname, blowing away the "European" star team from al-Ahli 5-1! And these will certainly not be exceptions.
You can't compare KSA with China either. While KSA is one of the largest football nations in Asia, China is a small and insignificant football dwarf. The Saudis are at least 30 years ahead of them.
It's exactly the same procedure as golf. In the end you will be forced to get along and work together. Nobody seriously believes that it will work without the Saudis.
Footballers are treated almost like diplomats there. For the girlfriend of Neymar, CR7 and co. exceptions were made. In KSA it is normally forbidden for unmarried couples to live in the same household. And Dubai and Doha are just around the corner.
The stadiums will all be completely newly built or renovated and fully air-conditioned. That's the smallest problem for the Saudis anyway.
Take a look at the stadiums in Seria A, L1, LaLiga, or Portugal! Except for a handful of modern stadiums, the rest consists of small, outdated barracks.
And full stadiums are only available for the 4-5 top clubs anyway. And only when they play at home.
Crazy stadium occupancy only occurs in Germany and partly England. Take a look at Gladbach! A 250k small town fills a stadium with 55k almost every weekend!
On average, every fifth citizen attends the game on the weekend. This is a unique phenomenon in the world. You can't expect something like that from the Saudis. And it's not bad either. They have other strengths.
You should get more information! How can the most successful clubs in Asia not have history and fans? Have you seen the Hilal vs Ittihad game? They almost burned the stadium down. The referee had to interrupt several times. These are real Clasicos like those we know from South America.
The NT argument is nonsense. The stars there don't all play in one club like PSG in the L1. They are divided into 5-6 teams. And even the small clubs have well-known players that we still know from the top European leagues. And they are guaranteed to increase over time. The density of the league is already at a stable level.
Speaking of L1: Khabib Diallo, scored 20 goals for Strasbourg last season. Now plays in KSA for Shabab, who have a very good squad. Guess how many goals he scored after 5 match days! Not even an assist. I know it doesn't have to mean anything, but at least these are the few numbers that could perhaps be used to derive something. Or things like Fateh FC, a noname, blowing away the "European" star team from al-Ahli 5-1! And these will certainly not be exceptions.
You can't compare KSA with China either. While KSA is one of the largest football nations in Asia, China is a small and insignificant football dwarf. The Saudis are at least 30 years ahead of them.
It is shocking that those players don’t respect the local culture.
Btw: Nice PR piece (again)
Correct.
Not exactly for the reason(s) you seem to suggest, but still - no, it's not comparable.
The Chinese league fizzled out for a number of reasons, but certainly partly because it was not state backed - quite to the contrary, as it turned out.
This thing, on the other hand, clearly is a state approved project.
If people aren't worried at all about that, I'd say they're possibly a bit naive. Money can't buy everything, but it absolutely can buy "legitimacy" in the football world.
The Saudis can have a number of possible end games here:
- Getting into the CL for their teams (as in: somehow * teams from the Saudi league will be allowed to qualify for the CL).
- In the (unlikely, I would say) event that FIFA/UEFA actually bother to actively oppose the above idea given enough...ahem...pressure *, they will join forces with the same group of clubs that pushed for the Super League a few years ago - and probably make it happen before too long.
- Possibly just being satisfied - at least for now - to become a high-profile league outside Europe. As in: a league that people world wide actually follow and are willing to pay to follow.
The Saudis are - as we speak - using their wealth to establish themselves as a "hub" of sorts for sports and entertainment. They realize that the oil era is essentially over (it won't literally be for some decades yet, but that's beside the point here), and they need to branch out. The golf thing is obviously just the beginning. Why would they not target the world's biggest/most popular sport?
* Yeah, money - of course. FIFA and UEFA are corrupt as feck. Does anyone actually expect them to not be corrupt as feck at this point?
I don't know about how well followed their domestic football is, but it's definitely not true to say they have no history, as if everything is just a recently started inorganic state experiment. In their own context of Asian Football, they've been there as one of bigger leagues since competitions like the AFC club championship/champions league started, a full nation pro league since the mid-70s, with many teams founded well before that for regional/amatuer competition. Asian football doesn't have nearly as long a history of organised contintental competition as Europe/South America, or the quality, but the saudi's have been there since it started to grow in the 80s. Only South Korea and Japan have won more AFC club champions titles, and Saudi had the most wins of the now defunct cup-winners cup.
History as used in these debates is not actual history. It's a very narrow definition which at times comes off as Eurocentric. Legitimate criticism about Saudi Arabia aside of course.
@Acrobat7 What is more shocking is what your interior minister did in Qatar. Goes there without being asked, behaves against the law and wants to force your personal world view on people in a foreign country. Disrespectful! The colonial behavior still doesn't seem to have been put aside.
@mathrait By the way, everything is correct. For some, the football dream in which Europe remains unrivaled is simply too good to wake up from.
@Chesterlestreet , right. Without exception, all comparisons with China are absolute nonsense. They had neither the support of the government nor the football culture in the country and certainly not the finances. Not even the goals are the same. From what I've heard, the Saudis also don't plan to naturalize talent like China, Qatar or UAE. This will be very difficult. The players would have to accept Islam.
I can imagine that the Saudis will offer UEFA some change for admission to the UCL. Otherwise they will do it the hard way. The Saudis have more staying power. They just have to carry on like this, maybe at some point UEFA will come on their own and want to “negotiate” again.
I can't imagine that MBS "just" wants to have a good league. Why should he be satisfied with that?
He wants the most beautiful castle. The most beautiful yacht. The most beautiful painting. The most beautiful building... Why not the most beautiful league? If he really wants that, then he will get it easily. He wouldn't even have to stretch to do it.
@mathrait By the way, everything is correct. For some, the football dream in which Europe remains unrivaled is simply too good to wake up from.
@Chesterlestreet , right. Without exception, all comparisons with China are absolute nonsense. They had neither the support of the government nor the football culture in the country and certainly not the finances. Not even the goals are the same. From what I've heard, the Saudis also don't plan to naturalize talent like China, Qatar or UAE. This will be very difficult. The players would have to accept Islam.
I can imagine that the Saudis will offer UEFA some change for admission to the UCL. Otherwise they will do it the hard way. The Saudis have more staying power. They just have to carry on like this, maybe at some point UEFA will come on their own and want to “negotiate” again.
I can't imagine that MBS "just" wants to have a good league. Why should he be satisfied with that?
He wants the most beautiful castle. The most beautiful yacht. The most beautiful painting. The most beautiful building... Why not the most beautiful league? If he really wants that, then he will get it easily. He wouldn't even have to stretch to do it.
The President of the SPL, Yasser Al-Mashal:
"We are reviewing the decision to increase the number of foreign players."
Source: Saudi TV interview.
This is very surprising. I was firmly convinced that this would never happen. It's a shame for the Saudi talents and the national team.
But good for the league if you want to become the best in the world.
"We are reviewing the decision to increase the number of foreign players."
Source: Saudi TV interview.
This is very surprising. I was firmly convinced that this would never happen. It's a shame for the Saudi talents and the national team.
But good for the league if you want to become the best in the world.
Shut up
Does he only murder the most beautiful journalists too?
Very weird post history for a Mönchengladbach fan indeed. 0 Bundesliga-related messages. 100% of messages posted in Saudi league threads or in the Messi thread explicitly mentioning the Saudi league, unprompted.
Blatant shilling.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I love how everyone is getting their nickers in a twist over this as if European football, EPL especially in recent years, hasn't already been slowly cannibalizing smaller leagues and teams over the past 30 years. Now someone else is coming after them.
That being said, the Saudi league isn't going to go far. Ultimately the European leagues/teams have built a reputation for decades that I don't think the Saudi league can just take over from fans in Asia just by signing their "stars", nor will their league have the same prestige. This ofcourse could change if they gain access to the UCL, which they won't.
as if European football, EPL especially in recent years, hasn't already been slowly cannibalizing smaller leagues and teams over the past 30 years. Now someone else is coming after them.That being said, the Saudi league isn't going to go far. Ultimately the European leagues/teams have built a reputation for decades that I don't think the Saudi league can just take over from fans in Asia just by signing their "stars", nor will their league have the same prestige. This ofcourse could change if they gain access to the UCL, which they won't.
It always makes me smile when I hear supposed experts here in the forum constantly repeating the nonsense of "they just want to have the World Cup".
And because they want the World Cup, they had to take over all relevant sports, such as golf, Formula 1, various motor and competitive sports, boxing, MMA as well as cricket and perhaps soon also basketball? All because of a World Cup? Do you really believe that?
Why this effort? Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy the World Cup? Like some have done before?
Even such combat terms as “sportwashing” are a matter of interpretation. Seems to me that this is also a very bad translation. I think the Arabs call it “diversification.” Or if you absolutely have to accuse them of malicious intent, then say "buy up soft power" for all I care.
@Acrobat7 Interesting discussion culture. I wouldn't have expected anything else from a Bayern fan.
And because they want the World Cup, they had to take over all relevant sports, such as golf, Formula 1, various motor and competitive sports, boxing, MMA as well as cricket and perhaps soon also basketball? All because of a World Cup? Do you really believe that?
Why this effort? Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy the World Cup? Like some have done before?
Even such combat terms as “sportwashing” are a matter of interpretation. Seems to me that this is also a very bad translation. I think the Arabs call it “diversification.” Or if you absolutely have to accuse them of malicious intent, then say "buy up soft power" for all I care.
@Acrobat7 Interesting discussion culture. I wouldn't have expected anything else from a Bayern fan.
I wonder if it means anything that my usual streaming site had the Saudi Pro League's Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr listed above United vs Villa. The only time I've seen another league listed above a United game was when in past seasons when there was some heavyweight UCL quarter final compared to some midweek League Cup clash for us.
Is your streaming site owned or financed by Saudi investors? The SPL is part of the offerings on my streaming service (DAZN) and, while they sometimes give it featured screen real estate, I've never watched it.
Good point but nope, it's not an official streaming service, it's likely owned by a group of guys running it from an apartment. That's what I was interested by though, obviously there's no way of knowing what algorithm or logic is applied for this sort of placement/order but it made me curious as to whether it could've been an organic demand that led to it. Then again, with Saudi's past beoutQ adventures, it's not impossible that they could still be pulling favours in the illegal streaming world.