Al-Ittihad surprised Real Madrid by signing Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, but made a £150m bid to Liverpool for Mohamed Salah.
“I think we went for it because it was the logical and practical way to go about it. It was the right opportunity,” said Emenalo, the former Chelsea and Monaco technical director. “We wanted to make an impact by showing the world the ambitions of the kingdom and the league, and I think we’ve achieved that.”
They did, but the Saudis insist it was a one-off transfer window and will not be repeated this summer, with manager Emenalo admitting they made “unnecessary increases” in transfer fees to make the “necessary progress”. They talk of a more “professional” approach.
But football always has been, and always will be, driven by money, as it was when the Premier League became the richest in the world, and agents, players and managers believe the spending will continue. That’s especially true because the SPL does not carry the burden of Financial Fair Play regulations facing European clubs and will need to continue to make noise to grow, attract sponsors and land TV deals. Money is football’s weapon and power.
“The impact we want to create, the buzz we need, the attraction, is for someone to come and add value to the product on the pitch,” Emenalo says.
“This is not a reckless, mindless spending mechanism,” he said, insisting the funds are “prudently managed.” The Saudis say part of the reason behind PIF’s ownership is to run the club more efficiently, but in reality there is no limit to spending.
This is where the issue of global reputation laundering comes into play.
That means it’s difficult to prosecute on the ground without sidestepping the issue, but it must be dealt with. This is a country where even a critical tweet can lead to prison time.
Here, it is downplayed. There is talk of tolerance, reform, liberalization, and even “turning a blind eye” to what is illegal. There is some evidence for this, but frankly, it is a silly argument.
The week before I arrived, a young woman called Manahel Al Otaibi was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court for her “choice of clothing and support for women’s rights” – she posted a photo on Snapchat of herself out shopping in dungarees. So in theory, even asking players, coaches or staff to publicly comment on Saudi Arabia’s record and the fact that homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death could land them in prison.
There is a clear desire to grow, but standards and culture are still lacking
It’s match night on Monday night. It doesn’t get any bigger than Al Ahly hosting league leaders Al Hilal. The temperature inside Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City is still 30 degrees Celsius, even after the 9pm kick-off was postponed until the smoke from the fireworks had cleared.
They drape cold towels over the shoulders of players such as Ruben Neves and take regular drinks breaks.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder is one of several stars who have been recruited or released from the Premier League, with Al Ahly boasting Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin – and while captain Firmino is a shadow of his former self, Al Hilal’s attack is strongly led by Aleksandar Mitrovic and features Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly.
What’s the level? The heat is no doubt a big factor. The pace is noticeably slower, at least a notch below the Premier League and, despite their star-studded squad, mid-table Championship level at best.
Though the match is officially sold out, there are many empty seats in the 60,000-seat arena – reportedly due to a rescheduled date – but there’s no denying the electric atmosphere, with Al Ahly’s fervent fans stationed on either side of the halfway line.
Al-Hilal is the team with the most fans in Saudi Arabia, while Al-Ahli has the most passionate fans. Supporters of both teams hold up tifos written in the world’s most polite English, which reads: “We are always rooting for you” and “We are together forever.”
It should also be noted that many women wear blue or green scarves over their abayas.
It was less than six years ago that women were allowed into stadiums, and just two years ago that schoolgirls were encouraged to play football. Now, 70,000 people play football, and Saudi Arabia has launched a professional women’s league — the first in the region to be televised — and hopes to attract foreign stars. Positive steps have been taken to give women more freedom, but there is still a long way to go.