SPL outlines priorities for player acquisitions, club development before new season

SPL outlines priorities for player acquisitions, club development before new season
The Saudi Pro League, in collaboration with all 18 clubs, announced on Thursday its comprehensive preparations and key priorities for the upcoming summer transfer window and the 2024-25 season. (Supplied)
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Updated 13 August 2024
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SPL outlines priorities for player acquisitions, club development before new season

SPL outlines priorities for player acquisitions, club development before new season
  • League remains committed to providing a supportive, centralized approach to transfers
  • Clubs continue to attract top-tier talents to their administrative ranks

RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League, in collaboration with all 18 clubs, announced on Thursday its comprehensive preparations and key priorities for the upcoming summer transfer window and the 2024-25 season.
As part of the Player Acquisition Center of Excellence program, which was launched in 2023, the SPL held meetings with all top-flight clubs in the final months of last season to understand more fully their targets and requirements. The program was launched as one of seven in the SPL’s transformation strategy.
The SPL remains committed to providing a supportive and centralized approach to transfers. This includes assisting clubs with squad mapping and player care by offering expertise, governance, and sustainability measures.
The SPL’s priorities for the season and transfer window include supporting existing contracts by prioritizing current deals to ensure the success of players by providing the necessary resources.
Other aims include strategic acquisitions to address clubs’ technical gaps and secure top talent.
Another priority is its sustainability policy, which is to ensure players are signed for technical needs, supported for success, and fairly valued.
Off the pitch, the SPL clubs continue to attract top-tier talents to their administrative ranks.
Al-Shabab recently appointed Domenico Teti as sporting director, while Al-Nassr appointed Fernando Hierro. Both sporting directors join Esteve Calzada, Al-Hilal’s CEO; Ron Gourlay, Al-Ahli’s CEO; Lee Congerton, Al-Ahli’s sporting director; Ramon Planes, Al-Ittihad’s sporting director; and James Bisgrove, Al-Qadsiah’s CEO, as new appointments ahead of the new season.
In addition, the SPL has conducted a series of workshops with partner leagues in Europe and Asia to further develop areas of cooperation and mutual benefit. Discussions have covered topics such as mutual promotion, broadcast development, and alignment on transfer window dates.
The Player Acquisition Center of Excellence program, according to the SPL, serves as a collaborative tool with clubs to enhance their acquisition capabilities.
The program has so far recruited 97 players and reviewed over 200 contracts, significantly reducing contract termination costs and lowering the average age of signed players from 29 to 27.5 years. The ultimate aim is to focus on signing players under the age of 21.


Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media

Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media
Updated 13 September 2024
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Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media

Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo thanks fans after amassing a billion followers across social media
  • The Al-Nassr captain said he has always appreciated those who supported him during his rise to stardom

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated reaching another milestone in his career on Friday, this time off the pitch, as the Al-Nassr star said he now has a billion followers across social media channels.

The Portuguese striker took to social media to thank his fans who made it possible.

“We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number - it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” he wrote.

The Al-Nassr captain said he has always appreciated those who supported him during his rise to stardom.

“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.”

He shared a collage of photos depicting his career with clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid, and his current side Al-Nassr. But the biggest image is that of the legend wearing the iconic ruby red jersey of Portugal, who he led to a European championship win in 2016. The artwork also includes his family and selfies with fans over the years.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows,” Ronaldo wrote. “This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.”

The player has 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook, and 113 million on X, formally known as Twitter, and 60 million on the video platform YouTube. He also has another 9 million on the Chinese network Weibo and has a presence on Kuaishou.

In August, the star shattered the YouTube record for the fastest-growing channel, achieving a milestone just hours after its launch.

“Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together,” he wrote.

In another remarkable milestone, Ronaldo became the first player in football history to score 900 goals, for club and country combined. The player achieved the feat a week ago with a tap-in against Croatia playing in the Nations League.

The footballing legend moved to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and has made even more fans in the Kingdom after his transfer to the Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, who have embraced him as one of their own.

He broke the record for the number of goals scored in a season by a player in Saudi Arabia’s top league, netting 35 in the 2023/2024 contest.

 


David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
Updated 12 September 2024
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David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

David Beckham arrives in Sweden for funeral of former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson
  • Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06
  • Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad

KARLSTAD, Sweden: England soccer great David Beckham arrived in Sweden on Thursday ahead of the funeral of Sven-Goran Eriksson, his former national-team coach.
Eriksson died on Aug. 26 at the age of 76, eight months after he revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had at most one year to live.
Beckham was England’s captain under Eriksson, who was in charge of the team from 2001-06, and visited his former coach in Sweden in June.
Swedish news agency TT reported that Beckham landed in the early evening on Thursday at Karlstad airport, which is a short drive from Torsby — a town, located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of Stockholm, where the funeral will take place Friday in the 600-seat Fryksande church. Beckham was pictured in Swedish media checking into a hotel in Karlstad.
Torsby is in the region of Varmland, where Eriksson grew up and died.
After the church ceremony on Friday, a musical procession will accompany the coffin that will be transported the 700 meters (766 yards) to a museum in Torsby with a large number of original wooden houses with traditional furnishings. Speeches and eulogies will be given there.
“It is an honor to be able to come to his funeral, although it is a sad day,” Roy Hodgson, another former England coach who also arrived in Torsby on Thursday, was quoted as saying by the local Warmlands Folkblad outlet.


PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed EUR55 million

PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed EUR55 million
Updated 12 September 2024
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PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed EUR55 million

PSG refuse League order to pay Mbappe disputed EUR55 million
  • The LFP oversees all matters concerning the top two tiers of football in France
  • PSG said they would seek a legal ruling elsewhere

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain refused Thursday to pay departed striker Kylian Mbappe a disputed 55 million euros ($60.6m) despite a French league (LFP) order to do so earlier in the day.
The LFP oversees all matters concerning the top two tiers of football in France, but PSG said they would seek a legal ruling elsewhere.
The 25-year-old striker says PSG owe him 55 million euros in wages and bonuses, but the Parisians say Mbappe agreed to waive the money in August 2023.
On Thursday, the LFP commission told PSG to pay, reportedly within a week, sparking a response from the Qatari-backed club.
“Given the limits of the Commission’s legal scope to make a full decision on this matter, the case must now be pursued before another court.”
“PSG will look forward to presenting all the facts over the coming months and year.”
Lawyers representing the two parties met early on Wednesday after Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer, had referred his case to the LFP’s legal committee.


Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
Updated 12 September 2024
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Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos

Kuwait football federation suspends bosses over Iraq match chaos
  • Kuwait Football Association expressed ‘deep regret’ for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game on Tuesday
  • The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s football federation has suspended one of its top bosses and its PR chief over failings that left fans in sweltering temperatures for hours during a World Cup qualifier against Iraq.
In a statement late Wednesday, the Kuwait Football Association expressed its “deep regret” for ticketing and other logistical problems that marred the game at the 60,000-capacity Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Tuesday.
It also said it would launch a probe into the shortcomings, which resulted in fans fainting in temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as they pleaded with staff for water, with videos of the incidents shared on social media.
Ticketing problems also meant some fans without tickets were allowed in, while others who had purchased tickets were refused entry.
The federation said it had suspended its secretary-general, Salah Al-Qanai, and public relations boss Mohamed Bou Abbas over the “unacceptable events.”


Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
Updated 12 September 2024
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Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
  • Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million)
  • PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe is not ready to compromise with Paris Saint-Germain.

The France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the French soccer league’s legal commission on Wednesday in his dispute with his former club over wages and bonuses.

PSG officials and Mbappe’s representatives met in Paris after Mbappe asked the commission to get involved. Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million).

In a statement to The Associated Press, Mbappe’s representatives said the player asked the commission to take note of the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.

“The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned this morning,” the statement read. “This possibility was rejected during the meeting by the player’s representative. A mediation would be useless to record a lack of payment that would be seen from a simple analysis of the player’s payslip.”

PSG, which said it was pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement it recalled that Mbappe had formerly made “clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris.”

PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season — following his decision not to prolong his contract with the club — with the player allegedly stipulating that he would relinquish bonuses over his reintegration into the team.

“To avoid its payment obligation, the club seeks to demonstrate the existence of a secret agreement that would justify it. But the club fails to demonstrate the existence of such an agreement,” Mbappe’s representatives said.

PSG said that the league’s legal commission recommended “mediation between the parties,” which the club said it had been seeking for months.

The French league did not respond to a request for comments from the AP.

The player’s representatives did not say what action they will now take. In light of the current deadlock, it’s likely the case will ultimately be settled by an employment court.

Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.

PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in 2022. But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept.

When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.

Mbappe stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.

His PSG career could have ended in the summer of 2023 amid a tense transfer standoff. After telling the club he would not extend his contract for an extra year, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi team Al-Hilal.

PSG left Mbappe out of the team’s opening league game of that season as the standoff continued but eventually let him return to the lineup after “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties, PSG said at the time.