Saudi Arabia's Football Future: What the FA Must Deliver
Saudi Arabia faces significant challenges in its quest to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, currently sitting in fourth place in the group with just 2 points from 3 matches, including a 0-0 draw with Cape Verde Islands in their last game. However, the bigger challenge lies in building the future of Saudi football, a topic highlighted by Mohammed Al-Amri in his recent article.
What is the Required National Project?
Al-Amri emphasizes that the General Assembly of the Saudi Football Federation must choose a president who presents a comprehensive election file with clear objectives and defined stages. This file should include a national project for building and developing football academies in clubs, as these academies are the real factories for Saudi players. The program should also include clear main axes, such as evaluating foreign players and reducing their number to five, developing youth categories, and qualifying national coaches.
Why is this Project Important?
Al-Amri stresses that the future is not built on individual efforts but on an institutional plan that starts from the base and reaches the first team. The next president of the federation should have a clear vision for the 2030 World Cup and 2034, with an implementation plan and a timeline. There should also be announced performance indicators that measure what is achieved at the end of each season.
What are the Next Steps?
Al-Amri asks the General Assembly to request a quarterly meeting for evaluation and accountability of the president and the board of directors. The costs of their attendance, travel, accommodation, and expenses should be borne by their clubs or personal accounts, and not by the Saudi Football Federation to avoid conflicts of interest.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the future of Saudi football depends on having a clear and defined plan. There should be more focus on the national team and its tournaments, improving the quality of its participation, rather than focusing on clubs and their tournaments. There should also be a spread of Saudi players in regional and international leagues to feed the national team.
