Oliver Kahn, the former CEO of FC Bayern Munich, foresees an end to the mega investments by Saudi Arabian football clubs.
“I don’t think it will continue like this,” the 54-year-old told the media group “Münchener Merkur/tz”: “Because the clubs in Saudi Arabia also have to operate sustainably under their current owners in the near future.”
Kahn does not currently see a threat to the supremacy of European football: “Certainly not in direct sporting competition, but when it comes to the transfer market, there is a new player that many European clubs have already felt.”
Ex-Bayern boss Kahn invited to Saudi Arabia
The former world goalkeeper visited Saudi Arabia in September. “I was invited to Riyadh to give a presentation about football clubs in Europe,” said Kahn. He wanted to get an idea of the development of the Saudi Professional League on site.
The trip to the Middle East brought Kahn a lot of criticism, among other things, because of the human rights situation there, which he only partially understands: “I’m a fan of taking a close look at the conditions on site before forming an opinion.”
He has been doing this since 2017, Kahn summarizes: “The country is opening up to the outside and changing internally at an astonishing pace.”