(Escape to conspiracy thoughts in our sport)
The mind of the mind
In the last moments of the summer transfer period, Saudi clubs signed deals with international and local players at a lower value than last season, and this is normal, I believe. The four big clubs in particular are full of senior players with contracts valid for somewhat long years. What these clubs have done is to cover some of the exposure of their positions due to the failure of previous deals or the lack of harmony of some players despite their huge contracts with their teams, especially since three of them are Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr and Al-Ahly, and with them Al-Taawoun have entitlements. Locally and continentally this year, Al Hilal is different from them in that it has a global right to the World Cup club championship in 2025. Even the mid-level and rising clubs had their share of summer transfer deals and this is very important. I hope that the rest of the clubs will succeed in their new players and that we will see a strong and equal league. Kind of among all the clubs, and this is an element of attraction and excitement for the game, for the league, and for the fans. Last year, we witnessed the league being won by Al-Hilal, with a wide margin over its closest competitors, and we witnessed matches ending with certain teams winning by many goals over the midfield teams that were at the bottom of the standings. The peak of follow-up was in limited matches between the Fund’s clubs only, and this kills the fun and strength of the competition.
Al-Hilal, as usual, was overwhelmed by other clubs in its local deals, especially with its neighbor Al-Nasr in the deal with Miteb Al-Harbi, which the Hilal administration fought to attract Miteb because the team lost important pillars in its defense line, especially Saud Abdul Hamid’s transfer to Roma, and this point without a defender close to Saud’s level will create problems for the team. This point was clear in the Damac match, which was emphasized by coach Jesus. This deal, despite its financial magnitude in the local market, was sponsored by Al-Hilal icon Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. As usual, he gave his word to Al-Hilal fans and fulfilled his promise to them. The deal was engineered by the club’s ideal president, Fahd bin Nafel, while he was in Paris.
After these deals for Al-Hilal, some voices came out to us trying to enumerate the deals for Al-Hilal last year and this year, and they wonder how I conspire against Al-Hilal when it monopolizes the championships, has not been defeated in fifty matches, and has not played in the Eastern Conference for five years. Of course, repeating such words is inaccurate, so how come Al-Hilal has not played in the Eastern Conference for five years? For years, he, like other clubs, plays there with its clubs in various competitions. It is talk that is repeated and embellished in search of meaningless trends. Whoever wants accurate information, for example, can find it on the “Transfer Market” website, where Al-Ittihad Club comes in first place in terms of the value of summer contracts, followed by Al-Nasr and Then Al-Hilal, Al-Qadisiyah, and finally Al-Ahly. This is accurate information published for anyone who wants to know the truth. When rumors and conspiracy ideas were spread, they may resonate with some fans as an escape from their teams’ failures in achieving championships. Otherwise, this is talk that comes under the heading of venting and sports fanaticism, unfortunately.
