After visiting Riyadh in September
Fired FCB boss Kahn continues to flirt with Saudi Arabia
October 11, 2023, 6:22 a.m
Oliver Kahn visits Saudi Arabia in September. The former national goalkeeper, who was fired as CEO of FC Bayern Munich in May, was linked to a job there a short time later. In an interview he now talks about his future and the amount of money from the kingdom.
According to Oliver Kahn, the mega-investments by Saudi Arabian clubs in European football are a double-edged sword. The clubs would benefit from the high 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,” said the former CEO of FC Bayern Munich in an interview with the media group “Münchner Merkur/tz”.
In terms of sport, the clubs in the Saudi Professional League are not yet a competitor. “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.”
Job in Saudi Arabia? The future will show
Kahn, from whom Bayern parted ways prematurely at the end of May, was in Saudi Arabia in September upon invitation. He gave a presentation about football clubs in Europe. He 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 its human rights situation and accusations of sportswashing. The country is opening up to the outside and changing internally at an astonishing pace, said the former world-class goalkeeper: “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 does not comment on such speculations. The 54-year-old left it open as to whether he could 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 football in Saudi Arabia.” He had already implemented some football-related projects there between 2017 and 2019.