In the past few days, Oliver Kahn has been in the headlines again for the first time after leaving as CEO of FC Bayern. The former national goalkeeper skillfully countered a verbal attack from Uli Hoeneß. Now the 54-year-old has once again caused a stir with his assessments of the Saudi transfer offensive.
In Kahn’s opinion, the desert clubs’ gigantic investments in European football are a double-edged sword.
The clubs would benefit from the enormous transfer income for reinvestments. “As long as it’s mainly older players for whom you get a lot of money, it’s a good thing. However, if more and more younger players decide to play in the SPL, it will be dangerous for the European leagues and their clubs,” warned the former world-class goalkeeper in an interview with “Münchner Merkur” and “tz”.
In terms of sport, the representatives of the Saudi Professional League are not yet any competition. “But when it comes to the transfer market, there is a new player that many European clubs have already felt,” said Kahn about the transfer spending of “over a billion euros.”
However, he does not believe that this will continue, “because the clubs in Saudi Arabia also have to operate sustainably under their current owners in the near future.”
After leaving FC Bayern: Kahn visits Saudi Arabia
Kahn, from whom FC Bayern parted ways prematurely at the end of May, was in Saudi Arabia in September upon invitation. There he gave a presentation about football clubs in Europe.
The 54-year-old also visited the Saudi Arabian Football Association and the Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr clubs, where he also met Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and ex-Bayern professional Sadio Mané.
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for some time because of its human rights situation and accusations of sportswashing. The country is opening up to the outside world and changing internally at an astonishing pace, said Kahn: “The world is a little more complicated than some people make it out to be. It’s not just black and white.”
According to Arabic media reports, Al-Hilal Kahn is said to have offered a position as an executive board member. He did not want to comment on the speculation.
The “Titan” left it open as to whether he could even imagine a job in Saudi Arabia: “What the future will bring remains to be seen. There are a few options that I am currently looking at from a business perspective. This also includes the development of the football in Saudi Arabia.”