Football as a Strategy for National Prosperity: The Saudi PIF Example

It is common knowledge that if the people are happy, the nation will be at peace. Such is the capacity which sports possess.’’

Gen. Yakubu Gowon, (1934-)Nigerian Head of State, 1966-75

 The Saudi Arabian Football League, now known as #RoshnSaudiLeague as a result of some huge capital investments it recently attracted, has risen to probably compete with the World’s 5(England, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain) major football leagues in terms of capital investments and content capabilities. It’s an outcome of the investment by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund which in June 2022 took equity control over four of the country's top football teams - Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli – as part of the country’s Vision2030 plan. Under it, football plays an integral part in the kingdom’s aim to diversify its economy, boost tourism, and create an atmosphere of investments to strengthen national prosperity and enhance global appeal.

THE SAUDI ARABIAN PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND

This institution is a deliberate creation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to pursue its national development through the diversification of its economy into diverse sectors. It was founded in 1971 as its Sovereign Wealth Fund Initiative and re-modeled in 2015. The fund is managed by a Board but under the direct guidance of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.

The PIF has an ultimate goal to become a global investment leader through the delivery of large-scale investment and infrastructure projects that would shape the global economy.

AN ABRIDGED PROFILE OF THE SAUDI PIF

92 Portfolio companies created

13 Strategic sectors

560,000 + Jobs created

$700BN + Assets Under Management

THE SAUDI ARABIAN ROSHAN LEAGUE

In June 2022, the Saudi PIF bought 75% investment rights over four of its major football clubs as earlier highlighted, and thus prompted the drive to attract the best quality of world footballers to strengthen her local league.

The major bang in their investment was the coming of Portuguese captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world’s most decorated active footballers, in January 2023. Thereafter, others followed and by the end of the summer 2023 transfer window, about $900m had been spent on players transfer by the 14 teams in the SaudiRoshanLeague! According to Transfermarket, one of the world’s most authoritative football websites on players’ activities, the RoshanLeague, ranked second, apart from the English Premier League, in player transfers.

In terms of individual spending by football clubs, three out of the ten biggest spenders in the August 2023 transfer window, are from within the SaudiRoshanLeague. Hitherto, it was not so!

Other consequences of this strategic plan include,

·        Signed broadcast deals globally with leading media houses like DAZN, Canal+, etc. to make the league available in 130+ countries

 

·        Brought a boost to local manufacturers and businesses by signing 116+ sponsorship deals across the 18 teams

·        Same for the kits, 18 teams have partnered with 12 kit manufacturers including #Nike #Puma #Adidas and many local manufacturers like Offside

Whilst justifying this move, His Excellency, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the PIF, highlighted the need to meet the interest in sports for the 63% of Saudis who are under the age of 30.

"You will have a lot of young people who are interested in sports and entertainment and that's basically part of the offering."

He further reiterated the huge expenditure as a deliberate investment targeted towards sustainability for the enterprise

"It makes financial sense to us, and that's the only way going forward. We don't like to subsidize things … we would like to have it sustainable."

Whilst most pessimists would doubt the sustainability of this project, seeing the income generated, it is expected that its drivers would have studied the factors that caused the demise of the Chinese League (it was a similar initiative) and the teething problems faced by the English Premier League before its stability. Overall, using sports as a basis to strengthen national prosperity and peace would also remain a success, as highlighted in the introductory statement of this article.

 

Has Ronaldo's Move To Saudi Arabia Diminished His Football Legacy?

Cristiano Ronaldo left his country Portugal for England when he was just eighteen. His extraordinary football talent attracted the Manchester United FC hierarchy and in 2003, they signed him from Sporting Lisbon FC. He played for them, winning several football laurels, including the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League before he was snapped by Real Madrid FC of Spain. At Madrid, he surpassed his achievements with Manchester United. He currently is the 2nd highest winner of the Balloon D’or, apart from Lionel Messi. He has won five UEFA Champions League titles and five Balloon D’or. Ronaldo is the highest goal scorer in Real Madrid's history but like always, he moved. His next destination was Italy where he joined the old lady, Juventus FC and he also excelled with them. In 2020, Ronaldo returned to England and re-joined Manchester United FC. He did excellently in the first season, emerging as the club’s highest goal scorer for the season and amongst the highest goal scorers in the English Premier League. He did not complete his second season and had his contract terminated just before after the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup after some disagreements with Coach Erik Ten Hag. 

Cristiano Ronaldo's Move To Saudi Arabia

Whilst tongues were wagging on what his next destination would be, it was announced that Ronaldo had joined al Nasser of Saudi Arabia. It was a very lucrative financial offer from the Saudi club and possibly to further convince him, several other world football icons were lured with fat cash to join Ronaldo. It marked the beginning of the Saudi Arabian football Revolution and Cristiano Ronaldo became the star boy! Lionel Messi rejected the offer to move to Saudi Arabia, but Neymar, Karim Benzema, and several others obliged. Some critics believe his move was just about money and that it would not enhance his football legacies. A critical analysis implies the opposite. Cristian Ronaldo has won everything in football except the FIFA World Cup. 

The Rationale of Cristiano Ronaldo's Move

Making the move to Saudi Arabia at the twilight of his career appears the best thing to have happened to his football career! Had he remained in Europe and with his huge financial demands, very few clubs would have been able to afford him. Rather, they would prefer a younger player with less risk of injury and no worries about managing the ego that most players of Ronaldo’s profile carry. Even with his fitness and positive work ethic, it remains contentious if he'd have been able to match the tactical demands and constant competition for positions synonymous with the volatile European leagues compared to the freedom he enjoys in Saudi Arabia. The quality of the Saudi Arabian league puts him under lesser pressure whilst enjoying the benefits of dazzling the less technically gifted players with his exquisite skills and experience. Apart from building another positive football profile for himself in Saudi Arabia, by hopefully winning laurels, the annals of football history would immensely credit his contributions to the Saudi Arabian Football Revolution.

Mo Salah and the Temptation of Saudi Arabia’s Fat Cheques!!

 

Liverpool FC Egyptian-born star, Mo Salah, was speculated to have been seriously enticed by several Saudi Arabian football clubs during the August 2023 transfer window. Salah is the most accomplished homegrown footballer from the Middle East and has broken so many records, especially in club football. Succumbing to the lure of the money-driven Saudi Arabian football revolution would be an immense achievement for his suitors, but would this enhance or diminish his impact on World football since he appears to have several seasons of top-flight European football ahead of him? Mo Salah started his career in Egypt, with Al-Mokawloon at a very tender age of about fifteen years. He moved to Switzerland, England, and Italy until finally settling with Liverpool FC in England. It wasn't so smooth for him but his exquisite skills and perseverance paid off. Some brilliant performances for Basel FC in Switzerland got Chelsea FC to sign him. He met a brick wall with Jose Mourinho, who rarely entrusted him with playing time. Salah was shipped to Roma and then sent on loan to Fiorentina FC until Liverpool FC rescued him and put his immense skill to proper use. 

Mo Salah, The Fourth Pyramid

Pep Guardiola: The Johan Cruyff Disciple Changing Football!

Pep Guardiola, the Catalan-born Manchester City FC Coach and serial trophy winner in Spain, Germany, and England has held the coaching industry spellbound since he took his first senior position. He started as a footballer, who grew from the Barcelona Academy, where he first encountered Johan Cruyff. Cruyff is renowned as probably the best footballer to have emerged from the Netherlands and as coach of Barcelona FC, 1988-96, greatly influenced the tiki-taka possession football that became synonymous with the Catalan side. As one of his players, Guardiola was hugely influenced by Cruyff. Theirs was a chance meeting during a training session whilst Guardiola was still in the academy team but it grew to become a father–son relationship until the passing of Cruyff.

THE FOUNDATIONAL YEARS OF PEP GUARDIOLA

Pep Guardiola started as a deep-playing midfielder with both defending and attacking qualities and could conveniently play whatever this role was assigned to him. He played over 380 matches for Barcelona FC and captained the team for four seasons, 1997-2001. Guardiola also had stints with Brescia and Roma FC in Italy, including a short period in Qatar and Mexico. He also played over 40 matches for the Spanish national team.

PEP GUARDIOLA's FOOTBALL PHILOSOPHY 

He retired in 2003 and shortly after, joined Barcelona FC B, as a coach; was given the senior team job three years later. Guardiola is known for his detail in setting his team for free-flowing football. He is obsessed with recruiting players (including goalkeepers), with good ball-handling skills, with a strong understanding of team cohesion, rather than individualistic tendencies to impress the spectators. This, combined with his high pressing to unsettle the opposition from easily building constructive play, has made the teams he’s managed difficult to beat! Guardiola makes his goalkeepers able to launch attacks from the back, using precision passes to players up front. He detests goalkeepers without good handling of the ball with their feet.

His job as a coach has taken him from Spain to Germany and currently in England and he’s never played second fiddle to any coach or team for more than a season. With Barcelona FC, he virtually took dominance of the Spanish La Liga and maintained Bayern Munich FC’s hold of the German Bundesliga. With the Qatari investments into Manchester City FC, Guardiola has made his club remain the team to beat in England. They have won the EPL 6 from 8 campaigns since he came.

THE GROWING IMPACT OF PEP GUARDIOLA's FOOTBALL PHILOSOPHY 

Pep Guardiola and his football philosophy has immensely impacted other coaches, raising disciples to his style! His former assistant at Manchester City FC, Mikel Arteta makes no secret of the similarities of his football philosophy with that of Pep, same with Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton FC, Ange Postecoglou, a Tottenham FC and so many others. Legendary Manchester United FC goalkeeper was eased out partly because Coach Erik Ten Hag dreamt of having a ball-playing goalkeeper to suit his football philosophy. Making the goalkeeper an integral attacking rather than a defensive asset originates from Pepe Guardiola’s philosophy. This attribute has become an important requirement for goalkeepers of the current decade.

Whilst Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, both renowned coaches of the twentieth century would conveniently set their teams for defensive play for an entire 90 minutes, the same is alien to Guardiola. That is the strength of his football knowledge and artistry. He brings out the real fun that comes with football and arouses inestimable joy whenever you watch any team raised by him.

WHAT NEXT FOR PSG's KYLIAN MBAPPE?

 Very few footballers can make claim to the laurels that Kylian Mbappe has won since he started his senior professional football career with Monaco FC in 2015. He’d be 25 next month, but Mbappe is already regarded as one of the best footballers in the World as a result of the listless records he’s broken and titles won. He won the 2018 World Cup with France, scoring in the final match, and has also won the French League title win Monaco and his current club, Paris Saint Germain FC. Mbappe narrowly missed winning another FIFA World Cup in the 2022 Qatar Competition, when the French team lost to the Lionel Messi-inspired Argentine team through penalties. 

 

THE HURDLE BEFORE KYLIAN MBAPPE 

In March 2023, French National team coach, Didier Deschamps named Kylian Mbappe the new captain of the French national football team, to replace Hugo Lloris. Like Pele, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe's major attributes include his dribbling skills, wonderful speed, and deadly finishing in front of goal. Despite these, the lure to replicate his wonderful skills elsewhere appears to be the remaining credentials necessary to cement his legendary beyond his current achievements. Though he’s yet to win the UEFA Champions League and Balloon D’or, pundits believe that a transfer to a bigger club in the most prominent leagues of England, Spain, and possibly Germany, would further enhance his chances of winning these titles and completely stamp his legendary on the annals of football. The addition of the declining Neymar and Lionel Messi to the PSG project of asserting their dominance over Europe had failed and both players have left leaving Mbappe to carry this burden alone! His club’s current performances in the group stage matches of the UEFA Champions League gives a clue to the weight of Mbappe’s current burden to winning the UEFA Champions League.

KYLIAN MBAPPE MUST MAKE A CONCRETE DECISION 

On the 4th of November 2023, Real Madrid FC of Spain released an official statement denying any discussion between their club and Kylian Mbappe for a transfer to join them. This was a culmination of several rumors that have lasted for about three seasons about a purported move to the Spanish club. The same situation had existed before the resumption of the current season, including Mbappe’s exclusion from PSG’s pre-season tour. Whilst there’s the huge possibility that Real Madrid FC is interested in Mbappe’s signature, the tussle to get him has remained difficult since his current contract with PSG ends in 2025. Also, is the interest of his club owners to keep him for as long as possible. Moving to a club with a bigger football profile than PSG would enhance Kylian Mbappe. He needs to make a concrete decision and move fast. He’s got age on his side to attract more accolades and remaining in France much longer appears unattractive. With players of his generation such as Pedri, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Erdin Haaland excelling in Spain and England respectively, an extra season at home could continue to deem his prospects.

GIFT ORBAN'S BOOTS ARE FIRING AGAIN!

 Gent AA FC Nigerian striker, Gift Orban’s boots are back to scoring goals again! He scored a hat-trick to give his team a hard-earned victory during last week's UEFA Conference League group match against Breidablik Kopavogur FC of Iceland.  Gift Orban scored 20 goals in 22 matches last season and created the record for the fastest hat-trick in a UEFA competition. Clubs across Europe went on full alert to get him, but he remained with Gent FC only for events to turn the other way!

The writer had earlier highlighted the hurdles he'd encounter leading to the January transfer window and like a seer, these have come to pass! His ability to continue to score goals for his team and remain fit would determine his future. The lure of joining the bigger leagues of England, Spain, and Germany remains the dream for strikers with the fortune and football prowess that Gift Orban has shown.

 

GIFT ORBAN SILENCES SKEPTICS

Young Gift Orban, who had scored just 2 goals in seven matches, was given a red card in their match against Eupen FC in the Belgian Juliper League and thereafter benched by his coach. Rather than allow a little patience with him, tongues began to wag within Belgium and some questioned his football qualities and attitudes.  ExGent AA FC goalkeeper, Wim De Connick accused him of being selfish and thinkingonly about himself.  Thanks to providence, he got his opportunity last week when his coach gave him some minutes to enable his newfound replacement to get some rest. Orban took his chance with a hat-trick.

 

 

GIFT ORBAN’s GOOD RUN MUST CONTINUE

For a man who came from nowhere to take Belgium by storm, something must have caused his goal drought. It could be an internal issue within his team, looking at the swiftness his coach took to bench him! More renowned strikers sometimes go through such situations and maintaining trust in them helps rebuild their confidence in front of goal.

Now that he's again shown his worth, we expect he continues to get more match time to allow him to continue his good form from where it stopped. His worth has increased and was even nominated for the Confederation of African Football Best Young Player of the Year Award. With the array of Nigerian strikers on good form, we wait to see the possibilities of his being selected for the January 2024 CAF African Nations Cup, and his good performance here, could yet enhance his value and attract more revenues for his club.

The good fortune for Orban and his club is that they have a win-win situation before them and vice versa. When a bigger club comes for him with the right fee, it would give more money to them, otherwise, allowing him to languish in mediocrity would be their loss.

As events unfold we can only wait to see what the January transfer window holds for him and how well he'd maintain good form to convince more suitors to come for his signature.