"Jurassic Park sounded great given the spectacular beasts on display, but there was chaos after they started to do their own thing. When Cristiano Ronaldo, surely the T rex, and Karim Benzema, perhaps a velociraptor, are scoring in spectacular fashion there are headlines around the world, but the Saudi Pro League is finding out that when they start to flex their muscles off the pitch, there is even more interest and, it turns out, a real problem for the competition."
"What happened on a manic Monday in the SPL should have been about what unfolded on the pitch. Al-Hilal, in first, drew with third-placed Al-Ahli. Al-Nassr won, to stay second, closing to within a point of the leaders. If Brendan Rodgers, having a whale of a time with Al-Qadsiah, wins his game in hand then four points will separate the top four with just over a third of the season remaining. It is the kind of title race most leagues would love."
"Sadio Mane scored the only goal for Al-Nassr, but where was his teammate Ronaldo, the face of the league since he signed on the last day of 2022? According to reports back home, he was believed to be on strike. The 40-year-old is said to be unhappy at the relative lack of investment his club received in this transfer window and to be thinking about leaving despite a reported daily pay packet of about 490,000."
Star signings such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have produced spectacular moments on the field, generating global headlines, but off-field issues are now overshadowing results. On a manic Monday in the Saudi Pro League Al-Hilal drew with Al-Ahli while Al-Nassr won to stay second, tightening a four-way title race. Sadio Mane scored for Al-Nassr while Cristiano Ronaldo was absent amid reports he is on strike over perceived underinvestment at his club and is considering leaving despite enormous pay. The Big Four clubs share Public Investment Fund ownership, and mid-season recruitment has been uneven across teams.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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