Association Football: Follow the money!
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
Association football (soccer) is not only the world’s most popular sport, but also the world’s most lucrative one.
The ‘beautiful game’ attracts leading players from all over the world offering them stratospheric salaries and benefits.
Al Hilal have bid a world-record transfer fee of £259 million for Kylian Mbappe, the Paris St Germain forward, who has twelve months remaining on his current contract, and the Club has given him permission to talk to the Saudi Club.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karin Benzema have already joined the Saudi Pro League, which has stated that they aim to be a top 10 League by 2030. Also, Liverpool have agreed to sell their captain, Jordan Henderson, to Al-Ettifaq.
So, where does all this leave the other leading Football Leagues, such as the English Premier League, which is a £6 billion a year operation in terms of revenue?
Richard Masters, the Chief Executive of the English Premier League, is apparently not concerned - at least for the moment - about Saudi Arabia’s rise in football, having remarked that it takes time to become a dominant player in world football.
Adding that:
“It has taken us 30 years to get to the position that we have in terms of profile, competitiveness and the revenue streams that we have.”
So, it is a case of follow the money and cash in so far as the players are concerned!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
