31st August, 2023
Saudi clubs will not be allowed to compete in Champions League, according to UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin.
He reiterated this in an interview with L’Equipe newspaper. This comes ahead of Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw.
“Only European clubs can participate in the Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League,” the president of Europe’s football governing body told the newspaper .
Despite the Saudi League’s strong financial growth, which has recently attracted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Sadio Mane, Ceferin does not see the country as a threat to European football.
“We had a similar situation with China, which bought players at the end of their careers and paid a lot of money to them. As a result, Chinese football did not develop,” Ceferin recalled.
“As far as I know, PSG forward Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland are not fantasising about Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Ceferin stated that Saudi Arabia’s approach “is not the right way” and that the Saudi league “should work on education of players and coaches, but that’s not my problem.”
dpa/NAN