Just days before the start of Qatar’s biggest football event, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), run solely by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, announced new $2.3 billion football sponsorship deals for 2022. Most of this money was intended for the national team.

A year earlier, the PIF had entered the Premier League with the purchase of Newcastle United, and since last August, the 37-year-old prince’s presence with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at a boxing match in Jeddah has fueled rumors. that the country will be a candidate, along with Egypt and Greece, for the 2030 World Cup, which will mark the anniversary of this event.

What happened that the Saudis suddenly fell in love with football so much? Is the victory over Argentina in their World Cup premiere the result of all these investment moves, or is it just an attempt to atone with petrodollars for the numerous accusations that Amnesty International and others accuse of serious violations of human rights?

In fact, one does not cancel the other, no matter how cynical it may sound. To do something, you need to invest, not to mention everything that is connected with a purely football part.

Something that the Saudis have systematically started over the past seven to eight years. It was then (2015) that Giorgos Donis left APOEL, with whom he secured participation in the Champions League groups, and wore… a celebium, taking over the subsequent Asian champions, Al-Hilal. The team in which most of the players of the current national team compete and in which Donis had players aged 20-22 years.

A “gunpowder-smoked” Greek technician from Dubai, where he trains with his current Al-Fateh team, told K about two surprises in the first World Cup match, Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina and Japan. over Germany, but mainly through the experience in the middle of the desert, about how they manage to compete with the behemoths of world football.

– The goal of the Saudis from the very beginning was to develop within the walls and especially in their national team. To do this, they knew that they needed to allocate a lot of money in order to attract good coaches and famous football players to their league. They were not interested in exporting football players, although the Arab players are very technically trained and could have made a career in European leagues. They spent a lot of money on training and it’s significant that they sent players at the expense of the federation to competitions in Spain to get performances and come back. An example is Dausari, who scored the second goal against Argentina and played for Villarreal. They also agreed to host the finals of the Spanish and Italian Super Cups in the country, received Primera Division television rights, methodically moved in all directions …

The Saudis went to Qatar very prepared. If you understand their DNA and gain their trust, you can get the most out of them.

– First of all, I would like to emphasize that this is a wonderful technician who works as long as he is in the national team. Yes, in such cases and in the way the match developed, the universe conspired, but I believe that such results will continue for teams like S.Arabia. Imagine that in the qualifying group they were together with Japan, which has more traditions in world football, and took first place, leaving them in second place. Japan defeated Germany. It didn’t surprise me. They are not surprising, and we should no longer be surprised by such results. Why else, when most of the players in the Japanese roster have been regulars in the Bundesliga, Premier League and First Division for many years? It’s all about investment and planning.

– The Arabs are more crafty and their style is similar to that of the North Africans, the Japanese and Koreans are clearly more disciplined in the game, with more physical elements. I would say that there is an Arab zone, in which Qatar and the Emirates are still located, but if we compare them with S. Arabia, they are subordinate. With Al Hilal in the Asian Champions League, in some matches the difference was such that I used the second team to rest the main players. There are 8-9 Al Hilal players in the Saudi national team who worked together when I was on the team in 2015-2016 and I saw a big improvement in those who played against Argentina. This is no coincidence.

– Well, for the Japanese there is no problem. They are focused and focused on what they do in every aspect of their daily lives. What is certain is that the Saudis went to Qatar well prepared. The league has been suspended since 15 October to keep all international players ready and committed to the national team. For example, right-back Abdulhamid had to undergo nasal septum surgery, and the Federation decided to finish it ahead of schedule so that his rehabilitation would go smoothly. The main thing is that they believe they can move on to the next stage. They aim to take 2nd place in the group. I think the coach was very busy with them. If you understand their DNA and gain their trust, you can get the most out of them. They have the same respect that we Greeks had 40-50 years ago, and the same outside the stadium. Another major problem that prevents them from making a career abroad is their lifestyle.

Workouts fit into the prayer schedule

G. Donis spoke about the way of life of the Saudis and its direct relation to their religious duties.
“If someone doesn’t experience it up close, they can’t believe it. Even for the player himself, not to mention the coach, it is not easy to cope with such a situation. Five times in 24 hours is an essential prayer time. So you have to adjust the timing of training sessions or if they can’t be interrupted to allow for prayer, match times don’t coincide with prayer, and personalizing food during Ramadan fasting to suit the needs of each player is another key part.”

– How are the Saudis as people? Are there aspects of their character that are reflected on the pitch?

“They are incredibly respectful. And unlike Qatar, they don’t care too much about glamour. Although money flows in abundance and their big cities like Riyadh and Jeddah are up to par with the big ones in Europe, they are not prone to self-promotion. They are modest in nature and especially hospitable. Even the prince who sheltered me in his palace is a very sociable person with whom you can chat for hours. I will tell you the case so that you understand. Left-back player Al-Shahrani, who suffered a fractured jaw and bone in a collision with a goalkeeper, bought me a Rolex watch in my first five months at Al-Hilal, thinking that I had helped him develop and learn. secrets are very good positions. But their generosity is shown even when they do not know you. For example, colleagues unknown to them told me dozens of similar cases.

– What do you like most about the country?

– I do not hide from you that I really like their food. Their cuisine is very diverse, and their tastes are unique, they combine savory dishes and pleasant sweets.

– What did we see on this first game day of the World Cup? What do you envision to continue?

– It’s too early to make predictions. Only when the playoffs begin will we be able to make the first assessments and judgments. We have, of course, seen some of the traditional powers, such as Brazil, France, England and Spain, look capable of confirming the title of favourite. In particular, Brazil seems to have the conditions to move forward. She assures you that she will not make a mistake in the next match, her players have changed the approach to their game, combining content and entertainment.

– How do you see the Greek championship? Is Panathinaikos’ lead in the first round enough to win the league?

– I will again draw a parallel with Saudi Arabia. It worries me that I don’t see Greek players in the 11 big teams. This cannot and must not continue. Here, three or four years ago, a prerequisite for 11 local players was seven, now their number has been reduced to five. But it was an important event that made the greatest contribution and helped the national team. I’m afraid that in a short time we will again begin to complain about our team and will look for reasons why it did not enter the next tournament.

“AD fell of age”

In every transfer window, when a player decides to continue his career in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, he knows that he will read about the last “capture” he is about to make before retiring. “Yes, in the beginning it was like that,” says Giorgos Donis. “Big names came to put on the latest stamps and get a large sum that will help them live the rest of their lives without problems. But somehow the country had to get on the football map. For people to play sports. Well, it was done with the knowledge of the prince. There was a rear sight. Now everything has changed. The average number of foreigners who come to play ball is 25-28 years old, with a large percentage of them being active players in their national team.” When we reminded the coach about Fetfatzidis, he said: “What did you just remind me of … It is inconceivable that one of the greatest talents of Greek football would not remain in the national team, because at the age of 25 he chose to continue his career in Saudi Arabia.”