Another dismal Saudi Pro League attendance has been recorded with a shockingly low amount of people watching Al Wehda vs. Al Okhdood. Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster transfer to Al Nassr saw the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, among many others, swap Europe for the Middle East.
The PIF-backed Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli recruited heavily as they signed some of the best players in the world.
However, it seems that Saudi Arabia has a lot of top talent. According to the attendance at the games that don’t feature the heavily invested clubs, that is the case.
Only 575 spectators attended the £450 million, 62,000-seat King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium on Saturday for the Saudi Pro League match between Al Wehda and Al Okhdood.
To put that pitiful turnout in context, Chasetown defeated Witton Albion 3-2 in Division One West of the Northern Premier League, the eighth division of English football, with 1,842 spectators in attendance.
Furthermore, over the weekend, attendance at a number of English football matches in the seventh tier exceeded 1,000.
This season, there have been over 40 Saudi Pro League matches with attendances of less than 1,000, including Al Wehda vs. Al Okhdood.
Less than 200 people have attended some games.
Ronaldo is optimistic that the Saudi Pro League will rank among the top five leagues in the future, despite the appalling attendance at some of the matches.
“We are much better and the Saudi league is getting better and the next year will be even better,” he stated.
“Over time, I believe this league will rank in the top five worldwide, but they still need players, infrastructure, and time.”
However, I think this nation has incredible potential, incredible people, and the league will be fantastic in my opinion.
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