The move by the Saudi Arabians to splurge billions into football may seem, at face value and as the English would like to believe, like a move to destroy international football. They believe so because the Saudis have started to destabilise everything that moves, but in the bigger picture, this is a move to finally show that players are important and valued! For years now, we've seen players retire and die paupers after serving the Beautiful Game for years, giving their all to their respective teams and supporters, only to have little to nothing to show for it after their careers were over.
Football is entertainment, but we can't only see it as business when it suits the clubs. These players entertain millions of supporters throughout their short careers, but sadly, most of them only have memories to hold on to after finishing their careers. Some of them are still owed monies by their former clubs that they will never recoup. The players keep the supporters happy and make millions for club owners, only to retire as nobodies. For once, now the players are finally getting what's due to them and realising the power that they have because the Saudis have opened their chequebooks and pay deserving players a lot of money. Now players don't have to beg for contracts or stay where they are not happy, they just pack and go to Saudi Arabia where they will have no contracts or financial issues to contend with. As long as the Saudi Pro League continues to run, we will be seeing more top players going that route before calling time on their careers. That way, they secure their future because football is a short career, therefore you have to make the most of it while you still can.
It is surprising to see people looking down on players choosing to go the Saudi route, when they know what most of our professional footballers have to go through in their careers. People are now having a go at the Saudis, accusing them of destroying the Beautiful Game, but once again, players are now finally important, have power and know exactly what they are worth – thanks to the Saudi Pro League! This league has literally given the power back to the players because, for the longest time, players have been commodities and had little to no say in how things are done in their careers. They've had very little to celebrate after hanging up their boots. If you don't believe this, go and interact with some of our former players and hear their sad stories and how much they despise the very same game that brought them to everyone's attention. It is unbelievably shocking, sometimes! They are the only ones who can paint you a real picture of how cruel this glamourous game can be, at times.
Some of these legends want nothing to do with the game they used to love so much because it has not been loyal or good to them. You call them for a comment on something and you realise that you've opened a can of worms! Some will politely turn your request down, while others will be upfront and tell you they want nothing to do with football. That's because they feel hard done by as this game didn't return the investment they made on it during their playing days. With the influx of top players to the Saudi league, players are being empowered because they can now stand their ground and demand what they feel they are worth. If anyone else wants to hold on to them, they then just have to pay; if not, they go the Saudi route. Players can now earn what they believe is their worth. Most of the English are obviously completely against what is happening in Saudi Arabia from the moment they lured one of the best players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Their only concern is simply the fact that they've enjoyed the dominance and football monopoly for so long, they feel it is their birthright to be the most popular and attractive football destination in the world. They can't handle anyone else threatening their dominance and being renowned as the best and most attractive league in the world, even though some of us beg to differ because apart from the commercial dominance, there's not much to show on the field when competing against some of the best in the world and in continental football. If you look at the UEFA Champions League, the English seldom have any positive story to tell apart from the few times their teams won it. Sometimes they all get eliminated so early that you question their standing in continental football. Every team is judged by the number of league titles they have amassed and similarly, every country is judged based on the number of continental titles they have as well as the World Cup championships.
If you bring out the Champions League discussion, let alone the World Cup, you leave the English with very little to talk about. However, that's beside the point, which is, as much as the English aren't happy with the Saudis, this is good for the players and their careers. Players have to make as much money as they can because not many of them are able to sustain their lives beyond retirement. No one should feel threatened about the financial muscle being stretched by the Saudis because it is good for the game. Unless football was meant to only uplift club owners and leave players with nothing, then you can say the Saudis are destroying football and competition by changing the narrative.
If football is about benefiting everyone involved in it, let the English and others catch up to the Saudis by paying players what they feel they deserve rather than the 'take-it-or-leave-it' arrangement that sometimes prevails. It is important to embrace the Saudi Pro League as the change that we all want to see, where players emerge as the most important stakeholders by earning as much as they can for their talents before they reach their 'expiry date'. They are not destroying football but giving the power to the players to realise their worth, after being victimised for so long… some of them that is. This is something long overdue for the players to feel and see their value in the game. They can also make enough money and retire peacefully. Then we will have no more former players who hate the game and rather have people who will be speaking power to the current players and become role models.
We need more of these leagues so that the players have something to show for their playing days once the curtain falls on their careers. For too long, players have been secondary to the teams. We hear of the upcoming African Super League and how much teams stand to make, just from participating in the mini-tournament, yet who knows what the players will get? Does anyone even care to know how this is going to affect the players with the possible fixture congestion? Does anyone even care to know how the players feel about it? Until the players feel important and appreciated, they will always search for greener pastures. Who would have thought that CR7 would start such a movement? Karim Benzema leaving Real Madrid to play in the Saudi Pro League? Sadio Mane? Now they've tabled a monstruous offer for embattled Kylian Mbappe!
Cheers,
VeeJay
