MLS commissioner Don Garber is ‘not threatened’ by the growing influence of the Saudi league

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said he is “not threatened” by the Saudi Professional League’s growing influence on the global soccer landscape.

The Saudi Pro League is supported by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. of PIF has taken control of the top four teams in the league and has made a push to sign many major players around the world by offering massive financial contracts. This approach has attracted stars such as 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and his France team-mate N’Golo Kante, who signed for Al Ittihad; Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino, who signed with Al Ahli; and the Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, who signed with Al Hilal. In January, Cristiano Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr in a deal that was reported to reach nine figures annually, including commercial interests.

Speaking to a small group of reporters ahead of Inter Miami’s event to introduce Lionel Messi to fans at the DRV PNK Stadium, Garber said the growing influence of the Saudi league speaks to efforts in “emerging markets” to make a bigger impact. great in sports.

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“I remember we were in that league and everybody was like, ‘What’s going on in America with Major League Soccer?’ And then what impact that had on the rest of the world,” Garber said. The rest of the world said, ‘Well, it’s just Americans who are crazy, isn’t it? We don’t have to worry about them.’ I am co-chair of the World League Forum and the Saudi League has been part of the World League Forum, it was just a meeting in London last week. They are a contributing member of the professional world soccer community and their league will continue to grow and develop and figure out how they can achieve what they want to achieve for their fans and whatever it is they are looking for. to catch up with their league overall.

“I’ve seen it happen with China and I wasn’t worried about that any more than I was about what’s happening in Saudi Arabia. It is quite the opposite. The fact that we can spread the power and influence of professional football around the world, I think it gives us all, or in emerging markets, an opportunity to think that it’s not just about Europe. Right?”

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Garber also highlighted efforts within CONCACAF, the regional confederation for North America and the Caribbean, to increase its professional footprint. MLS has expanded significantly – it will welcome its 30th team in 2025 – and next week will launch the League Cup, a tournament organized between MLS and Liga MX, the top professional league in Mexico. In addition, CONCACAF has made an effort to expand and grow its regional tournament, the CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League).

“Think about what CONCACAF has been able to achieve over the past few years,” Garber said. “I live here. I’ve been a member of the US Soccer board of directors for over 20 years, I want to see our federation be stronger, I want to see our confederation be stronger, and I’m sure there is other people like me around the world who have some similar goals and objectives. So I’m not at all threatened by it. It’s just another thing in this really complicated business that we’re in, and we’re going to t We’ll make it and I think we’ll be fine.”

(Photo: Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)