Men's Soccer (Football) Thread [ARCHIVED] Soccer • Page 2075

The more players that go to Saudi Arabia, the fishier it gets.

 

What’s fishy about it beyond the Saudis having exorbitant amounts of cash laying around and them paying obscene wages to attract names? It’s what was happening in China a few years ago except on a larger scale.

 

Footballers forced to chase Saudi wages

Footballers have been left chasing wages from Saudi Arabian football clubs — including former Nottingham Forest captain Lewis Grabban.

FIFA’s website details a swathe of decisions from its Dispute Resolution Chamber and contract breaches are common. Over 50 labour disputes involving Saudi clubs have been heard inside the last 12 months and, as recently as March 8, there was the case of Grabban and Al Ahli, one of the four clubs taken over by Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, this week.

The veteran saw his contract terminated by Al Ahli within three months of joining on a one-year deal last August. Grabban said he did not receive $400,000 — $200,000 as a signing-on fee when joining last August and another $200,000 for two months of unpaid wages — and when formally requesting payment he was informed of his release a fortnight later.

Grabban argued he had been due compensation totalling £2.2million and Al Ahli were eventually ordered to pay $500,000 in due wages on top of $700,000 of compensation for a breach of contract.

It was the fourth tribunal FIFA had chaired involving Al Ahli inside 18 months and, as a result, the club were to be “sanctioned with a ban from registering any new players for two entire and consecutive registration periods.”

There was nothing exceptional about Grabban’s case. Players have seen wages go unpaid by Saudi clubs when injured and, in the worst cases, had contracts torn up and visas withheld. Even high-profile clubs, like Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, have been found to be in the wrong. In November, they were ordered to pay Brazilian midfielder Petros $2.5m after refusing to settle on the terms agreed in his terminated contract.

The issues have not gone unnoticed. FIFPRO, the international union representing 65,000 footballers, warned last summer that its members should not sign for clubs in Saudi Arabia. It was listed alongside repeat offenders like Algeria, China, Romania and Turkey as nations to avoid, with “non-payment of salaries” seen to be “a recurring problem” in Saudi.

The Athletic has been told that public warning has done little to solve the issue but the true depth of payment problems is unclear. There is no players union to represent players from Saudi and, as such, no point of recourse for any locals going without pay.

I wonder how many players/clubs will have to take Saudi Arabian clubs to court for owed money

 

I don’t know, it’s just really… odd that the majority of the players going don’t really hurt the teams they’re leaving (Neves being an outlier here)? I think @Big Un pointed out how weird it was for Chelsea to have so many players they needed off-loaded directly into the league. I just can’t imagine moving to a desert region to play an outdoor sport is THAT intriguing to some of these guys who have won almost anything. Money talks, sure, but they’re already rich, haha.

 

Chelsea’s ownership group has Saudi investment in it, indirectly, through Clearlake investments or whatever that company is called. The PIF, who own Newcastle, are heavily infested in Clearlake Capital. Seems right they’d offload players to the new Saudi league.

 

new arsenal kit looks cool at the MLS skills competition

 

Arsenal away kit is horrendous but Man U’s away kit is about to say “wait, hold my beer”

 

£700k a week makes people do weird stuff lol

 

Also, you say they're kind of nobody players that the European sides won't miss, but that's still a big step up from the standard of players that the Saudi league has.

It's pretty comparable to what happened in China, but the major difference being that 6 clubs are state owned. I'm not sure that was the case when the Chinese league tried to make a name for itself. I'm not really sure how that's even allowed to happen. I wonder if FIFA will eventually ban those teams from any international competition.

Also, there's rich and then there's generational wealth. Henderson is rumoured to have been offered £700k a week out there. In one year he'd earn 3-4 times more than his pay at Liverpool over his entire career there (according to numbers I heard yesterday).

I mean, I don't disagree that it seems weird that players would be attracted to a terrible state with an awful league when they're already extremely handsomely paid, but even by pro player standards, the money being thrown at them is ridiculous.

 

This is interesting, looks like Adidas are after even more money for their shirts and are doing it by making the replica versions shittier.

 

Adidas been doing that for a couple of years. Our jersey in 21/22 was completely different between the authentic and replica ones. The authentic ones had lovely stripes down the front and an intricate collar, whereas the replica was completely plain.

Replica Manchester United 21-22 Home Kit Lacks Important Design Elements - Footy Headlines

 

Based Tony Khan

 

Antony's finishing still deserting him, I see.

 

My prediction is that if we don’t send Amad on loan he’ll have Antony displaced before the calendar year is over.

Garnacho - Rashford - Amad will be the frontline by year’s end.

 

I don’t see Amad making more than a half dozen starts in the league. I just don’t think he’s physically ready to play a part.

 

another one

 

boooooooooooooooooo


(now Bernardo is gonna be forced to win the PL again for City. At least he has John stones, both his dog and teammate)

 

No way City don’t have a replacement winger in mind. Just not sure who it might be.

Olise? Raphinha?

 

Dembele-B. Silva swap lfg

 

Neither of those would surprise me. Chiesa is apparently available so maybe him.

 

So Liverpool will be signing another midfielder.

 

Of course

 

I have not seen us linked to anybody from anyone I consider a City source yet I don't believe. I need me a Sam Lee article on who we are targeting lol.