Čeferin gave the reason why the players want to leave Saudi Arabia. You just can’t buy this, says UEFA president

In a recent interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin commented on why players who transferred to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 are now fleeing the country. He also said that the Saudi Pro League should not be seen as a real threat.

Saudi Arabia, it seems at the moment, is not the ideal destination for football stars of European calibre. Jordan Henderson, for example, has left the top competition there recently, while Karim Benzema has also asked to leave.

These stars have only recently moved to Saudi Arabia, specifically last summer. However, the environment there is incompatible with the European one in many aspects. And it is understandable that even players of the highest calibre have problems not only with adaptation.

However, the issue of Saudi Arabia, precisely in response to the potential departures of more players from the country, has been raised by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin in the last few dozen hours.

He has previously claimed that he does not think footballers have moved to the Saudi Professional League because of sporting ambitions. And what he himself also pointed out some time ago has also become a reality. Namely, that players who move to the Saudi league will also take their eyes off their own fans, as they will remain loyal to European football.

“I have no worries at all, and that’s because European football has such strong roots. It’s part of our culture, our history, you just can’t buy that. You can’t,” Čeferin said in an interview with Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.

Čeferin also ruled out a Champions League final in Saudi Arabia

The UEFA president also responded to speculation and fan concerns that Saudi Arabia is buying its way to the very top of football, and not just here but in other sports as well. In any case, Čeferin doesn’t think the Saudis are really a legitimate cause for concern.

And he underlined this by the example that he will never allow the final of the famous Champions League to be held on Saudi territory.

“I’ve heard some people say that the Saudis would be happy to win a Champions League final one day. But no one has talked to me about it specifically. And of course it’s not going to happen,” Cheferin added.

Source: The Guardian, X