Hoeneß: Saudi Arabia wants to dominate world soccer
In view of Saudi Arabia's financial strength, Uli Hoeneß sees huge challenges ahead for European soccer. "The Saudis seem to be really determined to perhaps dominate world soccer," said the honorary president of FC Bayern Munich in an interview with RTL/ntv. The 71-year-old sees greater competition than during the Chinese push a few years ago, when some European footballers were lured there.
"There is an additional component that wasn't there in China: that there is money in abundance and we have to pay for the whole thing through our oil bill," said Hoeneß. Saudi Arabia has attracted numerous stars to the country with immense investments - above all the multiple world footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. It is considered certain that the 2034 World Cup will also be held there.
Hoeneß: World soccer is changing dramatically
"We are currently undergoing a relatively major transformation in world soccer. We always thought that the opponents were in England, in Spain, a bit in France, in Italy. But now completely new things are coming to world soccer. Suddenly a country like Saudi Arabia has emerged with an infinitely large pot of money," said Hoeneß. They are trying to buy real world-class players and build up a proper structure.
Bayern idea against the financial power
In the fight against this incredible financial power, Hoeneß wants to score points with good youth development. "We believe that a club like Bayern Munich can only survive the challenges that are coming our way from Saudi Arabia, England, Spain and Italy, not by opening our purse strings indefinitely. But by trying to stand up to them with our own talent and our youth academy," said Hoeneß.
"They can only play with eleven players," said the long-serving Bayern boss. "There is enough talent in the world. We have to try to develop many players ourselves through very good youth development work."
Criticism of Saudi Arabia
Like last year's World Cup hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its human rights record and sportswashing. With the latter, the country is hoping for positive coverage in the international media. The kingdom has been increasingly seeking influence and attention in sport for years.
In the face of Saudi Arabia's ambitious plans, FC Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeneß acknowledges that the Bundesliga giants will need to rely on their renowned youth development to compete against the financial powerhouse, as they aim to attract top talent with substantial investments. With Cristiano Ronaldo among the stars attracted, it's been confirmed that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Source: www.dpa.com
