All Saudi Pro League football clubs are set to be privatised, the Saudi sports ministry has announced, after a first wave marked by an influx of international stars. After the sale of the four biggest clubs in the Saudi Arabian championship last year, six clubs will be put up for sale in August and eight more later, according to a statement published on Wednesday (July 3). The Saudi Pro League has a total of 18 clubs. Four of them – Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad – were bought in 2023 by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the oil kingdom. This injection of capital has allowed them to attract big players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar, with huge contracts. Saudi clubs, including the four owned by the PIF, spent $957 million (around 886 million euros) on transfers last summer, ranking second after the English Premier League. However, this resulted in an unbalanced season, marked by Al Hilal’s world record 34 consecutive wins.
1 min