UEFA responded to the request of Saudi clubs to play in the Champions League: What did you decide?
The worst management is that which is not done. At least this is how the Saudi teams understood it, which with their millions tried to reach the Champions League. Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA President, in an interview with the French newspaper L’Équipe noted that “one media outlet reported this without even consulting us. Only European clubs can participate in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
According to Čeferin, the players based in Saudi Arabia “have no football ambitions”.
Čeferin vehemently ruled out such a possibility, but also dismissed the idea that Saudi Arabia could overtake Europe as the epicenter of world football.
He also stated that footballers who choose to play on Saudi soil “are in the twilight of their careers or have no footballing ambitions”. “As far as I know, Mbappe and Haaland do not dream of playing in Saudi Arabia,” Ceferin explained.
Saudi clubs invest over €845m in transfers for 2023
In the recent transfer market, the Saudi Arabian League signed Al-Nasr international stars such as Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, Neymar, Roberto Firmino and Cristiano Ronaldo.
To conclude, Saudi clubs have invested more than €845m in transfers in the 2023 summer market.