By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) – The growth of the Saudi Pro League poses no threat to Major League Soccer but is an opportunity to grow the game around the world, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said on Tuesday.
The Saudi league, which is largely bankrolled by the government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has seen its international profile rise considerably since Cristiano Ronaldo began playing for Al Nassr in January on a contract that made him the highest paid athlete in the world.
“I believe that emerging leagues in emerging markets, having energy and having investment and creating noise is a positive,” Garber told reporters ahead Wednesday’s MLS All-Star game in Washington.
“For many years, we were that challenging league and we’re in a different spot than we were in the past.
“I don’t look at that as a threat in any way to Major League Soccer. I actually think it’s positive for the sport. I wish them well.”
Garber said he hopes an MLS club will get the chance to play a Saudi team at the Club World Cup, which will be held in the U.S. in 2025.
Garber likened the growth of the Saudi Pro League to the rise of CONCACAF, which brings together North American, Central American and Caribbean nations.
“I am a supporter of CONCACAF. I have seen the energy and investment that’s gone into this part of the world.
“I want to see the rest of the world being a big part of the soccer family – whether that’s in Saudi Arabia or whether it’s in Asia, whether it’s in the emerging professionalism of some of the leagues in South America.”
Saudi Arabia’s PIF has poured hundreds of million into international sports like golf and Formula One in recent years.
Critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using the PIF to engage in “sportwashing” in the face of heavy criticism of the country’s human rights record.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
