If anyone required further proof that Saudi Arabia is essentially trying to buy the world of sports, that proof has arrived.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, Saudi soccer club Al-Hilal has offered French soccer sensation Kylian Mbappe a whopping $1.1 billion to play only one year for the Saudi squad.
As the details state, not all that money would go to Mbappe. The French striker’s current squad – Paris Saint-Germain – would receive a $332 million buyout as part of the deal.
But, the entirety of the offer exceeds $1 billion, and again, it’s only for one year.
Whether Mbappe signs the deal remains to be seen. But the deal’s implications, along with news of the merger between the PGA-Tour and LIV Golf, send a very clear and distinct message to sports leagues worldwide: If the Saudis want your league and your stars, they can have them.
What will Western sports leagues, which have previously not been coveted by the Saudis, decide to do about it?
It’s only a matter of time before the Saudis try to buy an NFL franchise. Does the NFL have to let them purchase a franchise? Absolutely not. But here’s the problem, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio laid out earlier: If the Saudis care enough, they can open their own competing league and buy off all the best talent from the NFL Draft. The NFL, which has forever been the standard of excellence in American football, could become the equivalent of the USFL or XFL over time.
The American flag is displayed ahead of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles held at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. Picture date: Sunday, February 12, 2023. (Anthony Behar/PA Images via Getty Images)
The same thing could absolutely happen in Europe if the Saudis wanted to form rivals to the English Premier League and other major soccer organizations.
Everton fans during the Premier League match between Everton FC and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on May 28, 2023, in Liverpool, England. (Emma Simpson/Everton FC via Getty Images)
Will that happen? Who knows? But if the Saudis want it to happen, it can happen.
What can be done about all this? If American sports leagues are serious about not getting bought up by Saudi billionaires – and that’s a big if considering they stand to make billions of dollars – they could lobby Congress to make laws preventing the Saudis from setting up rival leagues. Or, Congress itself could act without the leagues involvement.
This could even become a hot topic on the campaign trail.
In any event, it’s time for international sports leagues to start thinking earnestly about protecting the independence of their star players and clubs. You know, if they even care about that kind of thing anymore.
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