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Topics: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Football, Football World Cup
Marcus Chan
Topics: Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Football, Football World Cup
Saudi Arabia are reportedly withdrawing their interest in hosting the 2030 World Cup.
It was reported that Saudi Arabia were leading a joint bid along with Egypt and Greece.
However, Egypt announced they were withdrawing from the bid back in April.
Now, according to Greek news outlet Kathimerini, the Saudis are also going to shelve their interest in hosting the tournament in seven years’ time.
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The report stated that Saudi Arabia decided to withdraw as they believe it is Europe’s turn to host the biggest tournament in football.
Before the news of the withdrawal, it was reported that the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud promised Greece they would pay the bill for the stadiums to be built.
It was claimed that Saudi Arabia would host 75 per cent of the matches if they were successful with their bid.
This shock decision comes after a recent transfer spree led by the biggest clubs in the Saudi Professional League.
Back in January, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first big name to move to the Middle East after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner signed for Al Nassr.
Since then, the Saudis have been trying their best to lure some of football’s biggest names to move to the country.
Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema has left Madrid for Al Ittihad, where he will be joined by Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante.
It was reported that Kante signed a deal worth an eye-watering £86 million per year, whilst Benzema is set to take home a staggering £172 million a year.
In recent weeks, the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly have all been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Recently, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Saudi Arabia are making a mistake with their huge spending.
He said: “I think that it’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football.
“Why is that a problem for them? Because they should invest in academies, they should bring coaches, and they should develop their own players.
“The system of buying the players that almost ended their career is not the system that develops football.”