ATTENDANCES in the Saudi Pro League have dropped to a shocking new low despite an influx of world-class talent.
During the summer transfer window, £750milion was spent on some of the biggest names in Europe as clubs looked to make the league one of the world’s best.
Stars such as Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and many others all made moves to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.
Liverpool legends Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson also made the switch as they joined Al-Ettifaq with the former becoming manager.
However, despite the lucrative contracts being handed out to some of the world’s most popular players, it has failed to increase the number of spectators.
In Al-Ettifaq’s most recent Saudi Pro League game, they lost 1-0 to Al-Riyadh, with only 696 people coming to watch.
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The match was not the only one to have a small attendance this season.
Al-Ittihad, who signed the likes of Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho in the summer, have the highest average attendance in the league.
The club enjoys an average of 29,044 this season, however, it is considerably short of the 40,453 average last season.
Current champions Al-Hilal have hosted the most attended match this season with 59,600 filling out the King Fahd International Stadium for the clash against Al-Fayha on August 19.
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This game also coincided with the unveiling of Neymar following his move from PSG.
Not all the clubs in the Saudi League have the financial might of the four clubs owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund, such as Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad.
Those are the only four teams in the league that average at least 10,000 spectators per match.
Meanwhile, Abha’s home games have the lowest average attendance of 1,988 supporters per match.
Compared to the lower leagues in England the attendance numbers do appear low, with League Two Bradford averaging 16,362 fans at their home games this season.
The Times have claimed that Al-Nassr, Al-Raed, Al-Ettifaq and Al-Hilal have seen their attendances rise this season after the influx of players.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
