Mohammed Basrawi is the General Director of Marketing Communications of the Saudi Pro League (SPL), in charge of improving the visibility, reputation and interaction of the Saudi League. One of the SPL bosses, in a talk with a brand from Riyadh.
Ask. What is the future of the Saudi League?
Answer. Everyone can see that we are growing and we have a lot of attention from the international public [unos 140 países dan en directo la Liga, entre ellos España a través de MARCA.com]. Quality is growing. The challenge is not only to focus on the big names, but to go further, and raise the level of all clubs, not only of the four greats.
Q. What do you mean?
A. We have two strategies: create young Saudi talents and attract young people from abroad. In the last market window, it could be seen that the signings were younger. The average was 23.4 years. And that is the challenge: that a 23 -year -old boy, who has only played in a big club in Europe, chooses the Saudi league at that age to develop [Jhon Durán es un ejemplo en Al Qadsiah].
Q. They have the danger that if they develop the internal talent a lot, players file. Recently Roma signed the Saudi Saudi Abdulhamid side.
A. That is club problem. But exporting out talent is as important as foreigners import to Saudi. That means that local football is growing.
Q. Do they dream of signing a great young star from a large club in Europe? Is that the next step? A ‘Rodrygo’ or ‘Vinicius’, for example.
A. The attractiveness of the league has grown and will be a matter of negotiating well with young talents abroad. What you say will come over time, we cannot force things. It will be a consequence that we are doing things right. It is part of the revolution we are doing.
Mohammed, at a time of the interview with Marca in Riad.
Q. There are now four large teams financed artificially by the PIF [fondo de inversión privado que depende del Ministerio de Deportes]. How are the rest of the teams to develop?
A. We are working with all clubs, in sports, communication, marketing … we have other great clubs such as Al Qadsiah, or Neom, which comes shortly since the second. All clubs have to mature and that is the challenge of the Saudi Pro League, make them grow in all terms so that the ‘Business’ also grows.
Q. What Míchel is doing in Al Qadsiah is an example of what they expect for the rest of clubs?
A. There are many reasons why a club grows, and the sporty appearance, as is the case of Míchel in Al Qadsiah, is one of them. That club is doing well for some time, and success demonstrated this year. We expect more examples of this type.
Q. Is it a real objective to participate in the Saudi champion in the European Champions League?
A. Our Asian Champions is already very powerful, and Saudi clubs are successful in it [Al Hilal es el más ganador, con cuatro ediciones]. We are always collaborating with Europe, but I don’t know how that collaboration will be like. The calendar is very complicated for those Europe-Asia parties. Our challenge is to grow the Saudi League more and we have flexibility. And if an idea gives us growth, we will never say no.
P. Three big names: Christian. Will you renew with the Nassr?
A. They have asked me a lot about it. Cristiano is not only a soccer player, he is already a ‘celebrity’, a brand in itself, followed by fans around the world. But the strategy is not only in them, being very important, but in the rest of clubs and players. The stars come and go, and fans come and go with them. Cristiano is a challenge, but there is more behind that.
Q. The performance and subsequent departure of Neymar were a disappointment?
R. Neymar was and left, and, of course, he took many fans with him, who follows him personally. But it was not a disappointment. What happened with Neym, ar is football, without more. There are injuries that can occur. It was a serious injury at the beginning of the contract, and that can happen to anyone. We would have liked that he would have played more, but so is football.
P. Vinicius. Is it possible to sign you now?
R. Spicy issue. Honestly, as a league, we do not get into the signings that each club intends to do. What if we would like to have it here? Of course, but we, as a league, do not choose the signings, depend on each club.
Q. In Spain there is talk of 1,000 million transfer of transfer to Real Madrid [es su cláusula]and 300 million euros as a player’s salary. Are these figures real?
A. I think the amounts are exaggerated, but our money is used to raise the value of the Saudi Pro League in general. We help clubs to raise their level, hiring players or with other actions. The football economy develops worldwide, and in Saudi too. That is what the European must understand. We are not out of that future development. But I think the figures are exaggerated. And our idea is not to spend money to spend, but to do it on strategies that help us grow together.
Q. Salah will not renew with Liverpool. Will it come to Saudi?
A. He is one of the best in the world, and very dear in the Arab community. I wish I came here, we open the doors, but, I insist, we don’t negotiate that, and we don’t know anything now. Do not obsess only with the big names. Our work is more to raise the level of the rest.
Q. It is not his work, because it is from the Federation, but the Saudi Pro League believes that the 2034 World Cup will be the best in history at the time?
A. It is another question for the 2034 Organizing Committee and the Federation, but as Saudi, you can answer that we will do our best to be so. Before we have the Cup Asia 2027, which is also very important. The Saudi Pro League has to put the possible conditions for clubs (stadiums, training fields …) so that the 2034 World Cup is enhanced. That is our mission. Our new stadiums are already being devised or building. But yes, as Saudi, I think we will have a World Cup that everyone will remember and we know that our nation is capable of doing so.