Barnes not convinced Saudi Pro-League will grow - McAllister feels it's here to stay - video Dailymotion

Barnes feels 'retired players' won't make the Saudi Pro-League big - McAllister it'll only get better though.

Transcript

00:00 football has always been big all over the world,

00:01 since the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s.

00:03 Now because of the media attention,

00:04 you're looking at what's going on in Saudi Arabia.

00:06 China, 10 years ago, people were going to China.

00:08 Now they're going to Saudi Arabia.

00:09 But once again, like America, just getting some retired

00:12 players, or players who want to go for the money to go there,

00:16 and the other 10 players in the team, or 8 players in the team,

00:19 or 15 players in the squad may not be as good.

00:22 It isn't necessarily-- it's more to make

00:23 a statement of being able to attract superstar players

00:28 there.

00:28 That's not necessarily going to grow the league.

00:30 And Saudi Arabia has been doing well internationally anyway,

00:33 in qualifying for the World Cup.

00:34 In fact, they're the only team to beat Argentina.

00:36 So once again, that's very similar to what

00:38 goes on in America.

00:39 If ex-players, or players coming towards the end of their career

00:41 want to make a lot of money, they do that.

00:43 That doesn't necessarily impact on the local football.

00:46 Well, the thing is, over the past 10 years,

00:52 and maybe more, the fact that Saudi

00:55 has been able to persuade Formula One to go there,

00:59 all the big heavyweight championship

01:01 bouts are being brought there.

01:06 And obviously, what's happened recently with World Golf,

01:11 they want to be involved in world sport.

01:16 And obviously, I read what you read.

01:19 The financial rewards and what can happen there financially

01:23 is a big-- it's a professional sport thing.

01:25 So I don't think it's going to go away.

01:29 I think they'll continue to try and invest in all sports

01:32 right across the board.