Saudi Arabia eyes Uefa Champions League spot, will do ‘whatever it takes’ to attract more top players to domestic league
- Saudi Pro League boss Carlo Nohra says organisation is ‘trying to be different’ but still committed to Asian competition
- Previous suggestion that kingdom could enter a team into Europe’s top club tournament dismissed as ‘fabrication’ by Uefa chief
Saudi Arabia is interested in discussions about joining Europe’s top football club tournament, the Champions League, as the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars to attract some of the world’s best players and shake up the sport.
“We are trying to be different, so any kind of format-changing or improvements that can be introduced into the league will be welcomed,” the Saudi Pro League’s chief operating officer, Carlo Nohra, said in an interview.
The SPL is still “completely committed” to being in the AFC Champions League, which is Asia’s premier club competition, he said. Any talks about SPL teams joining Europe’s Champions League, he added, would probably be between Uefa, and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
Uefa members include a few non-European countries, including Kazakhstan, whose clubs can play in the Champions League.
The governing body referred Bloomberg to comments this month by its chief of football Zvonimir Boban. Responding to a report of a Saudi club joining the Champions League in 2025, he told Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List that it’s a “fabrication”.
Saudi teams have spent about US$650 million in recent months recruiting players including Karim Benzema from Real Madrid, Brazil’s Neymar and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson.
