Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Fabinho, Riyad Mahrez, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Neymar. These few well-known names on the European scene were convinced by the Saudi Pro League project. An unexpected but essential player in the last summer transfer window, the Saudi market has shone all the spotlight on it.
In Europe, despite this drain of talent, the big teams are not panicking. Thanks in particular to the Champions League, they are still guaranteed to retain the best players on the planet. And now, the time to respond to the Saudis has come. The formations of the Old Continent cannot promise such amounts, but they do not intend to remain inactive.
Europe does not see Saudi Arabia as a danger
Moreover, faced with Saudi intrusion attempts, the response is clear. At a time when some are pushing for the organization of the European Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, a manager of a major European club has been clear. “This idea is completely stupid… If we no longer respect the territories then we can stop everything, close UEFA and the AFC. Saudi Arabia belongs to the Asian Confederation, period »he indicated to RMC Sport. President of the European Club Association (ECA), Nasser Al-Khelaïfi also refuted the hypothesis of the arrival of Saudi clubs in the Champions League.
“I don’t see the arrival of other clubs from outside Europe as possible. I don’t know what will happen in a few years, but today I don’t see this idea possible,” he declared, before concluding. “I don’t think there’s any danger. We believe in ourselves, we have the best competition in the world, the biggest clubs in the world and above all the best players in the world. I don’t think there is any real danger. These are different leagues. » The future will tell us whether NAK and the big players in Europe were right or not.
