Other StuffPublished:

After getting Ronaldo and Neymar for eye-watering sums, the cash-rich Saudi Pro League is now luring top referees with $400,000 contracts

by


Forget the Premier League players; it is Saudi Arabia that is racing towards the goal of attracting the best talent to their nation. After attracting star players Ronaldo, Neymar, and Benzema, the Saudi Pro League is dangling an enticing $400,000 carrot of a contract for top football referees. The oil-rich state has already splurged close to $1 billion on players and is aiming to follow it up by roping in leading referees from the Premier League and across Europe on a full-time basis.

Saudi’s Al Nassr club is paying Cristiano Ronaldo a yearly salary of $220 million. Via Facebook / @ نادي النصر السعودي – AlNassr Saudi Club

Several noteworthy names from overseas have officiated matches in the Saudi Pro League on a one-off basis. Referees from countries like New Zealand, Argentina, and Paraguay have taken charge of matches in the Pro League this season. The next few months will witness the Pro League draw officials to expedite the next phase of the league’s development.

Also read -  Worth 5 times more than Elon Musk and Bill Gates combined, the Saudi royal family leads a life so luxurious that even billionaires cannot imagine - Their megayacht has a $450M painting, they drive gold plated supercars and their palaces have thousands of rooms.

Saudi’s Al Nassr club is paying Cristiano Ronaldo a yearly salary of $220 million. Via Facebook / @ نادي الهلال السعودي – AlHilal Saudi Club

Per The Times, salaries for referees in the Premier League range from $150,000 to $365,000 a year, a measly amount compared to the potential earnings in Saudi Arabia of nearly $400,000. With the financially robust Public Investment Fund taking over four clubs — Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli, there will be no dearth of extravagant salaries and big-money recruits for the players and referees alike.

Tags from the story
,
Neha Tandon Sharma
Written By
With over 15 years of experience in luxury journalism, Neha Tandon Sharma is a notable senior writer at Luxurylaunches. Her expertise spans luxury yachts, high-end fashion, and celebrity culture. Beyond writing, her passion for fantasy series is evident. Beginning with articles on women-centric gadgets, she's now a leading voice in luxury, with a fondness for opulent superyachts. To date, her portfolio boasts more than 2 million words, often penned alongside a cappuccino.

You may also like

Even the sky is no limit for MBS; the dynamic Saudi Crown Prince is now planning to build the world’s tallest skyscraper in Riyadh. Set to stretch 2 kilometers in the sky, it will be even taller than two Burj Khalifa towers put on top of each other.
Straight from Russia – Here are the four most stylish couples at the 2018 Fifa World Cup
These four overtly ambitious mega projects are Saudi Crown Prince MBS’s $1 trillion gifts to the world – From a futuristic ski resort in the desert to a floating port city to a 100-mile long zero gravity skyscraper, If completed they will be nothing the world has ever seen.
Is this the most embarrassing flex by a billionaire? The King of Saudi Arabia got stuck mid-way on his customized gold escalator while getting down from his private Boeing 747 Jumbo jet.
Saudi Crown Prince MBS has strongly dismissed the critics of his ambitious $1 trillion’The Line’ megacity. The Saudi ruler is confident that once ready, the 75-mile-long skyscraper will actually compete with Miami in terms of entertainment, culture, and shopping.
Saudi Crown Prince MBS and Johnny Depp have become such good friends that in true ‘Succession’ style the Hollywood star arrives by a helicopter with his guitar to spend time on the royal’s $400 million Serene megayacht.
Redditors share the most insane things they saw when working for rich Saudis – From booking three hotel floors for three family members, to airlifting a sportscar of every color to even having a surgery room on a private jet with an organ donor on standby.
Video reveals Saudi crown prince MBS’s ambitious Coral Bloom resort taking shape. The dolphin-shaped Shurayrah Island appears to be the epitome of not only luxury and design but sustainability as well.
From an upside-down skyscraper to a futuristic ski resort, these 10 regions, which are the brainchild of Saudi Arabia’s dynamic crown prince MBS, will make the overtly ambitious $1 trillion Neom project a reality.