April 17: Throughout the last two decades, the involvement of United Arab Emirates-based owners across world football has reached new heights. Moreover, having made significant improvements to their local facilities and scouting networks, the Middle East is well-placed to flourish over the coming years in regards to producing talented players and getting them into Europe’s most competitive leagues.
Substantial Financial Investment
As of 2015, investors from the Middle East had spent approximately $1.5 billion on purchasing European football clubs, according to a report by CNN. However, in addition to expanding their influence on top-flight leagues across the globe, Middle Eastern countries are looking increasingly likely to become a hotbed for future football stars following sizable local investment in their coaching staff and playing facilities.
In 2004, the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence opened, with the establishment’s primary objective to train aspiring players to an elite level. As well as offering a unique service from a training standpoint in seeking to expand young player’s skill sets, the academy’s staff also scout local matches, including government and school competitions. Moreover, having won their bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it’s estimated that Qatar will invest around $100 billion on infrastructure, with at least six stadiums expected to be used within the tournament.
How are Talents Being Discovered?
Primarily, one of the ways that up-and-coming talents are being discovered throughout the Middle East, comes as a result of local knowledge. At present, high-profile clubs, such as Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain, are reaping the rewards of having United Arab Emirates-based owners from a financial standpoint. That said, this is also beneficial in regard to Middle Eastern player recruitment. Even though there are currently no players from the UAE showcasing their talents in either England or France’s top-flight, they have a local connection to the Middle East through their owners. Crucially, this gives the reigning champions of their respective leagues an advantage over other sides, who are less likely to invest in the Middle Eastern market.
Back in 2013, five years after Sheikh Mansour purchased Manchester City, Omar Abdulrahman, the 2016 Asian Player of the Year, went on a two-week trial with the six-time league winners. Although the Arabian never made a permanent move to the Premier League, his trial does showcase the advantageous nature of having local market knowledge. However, despite that, it’s not always possible to rely on local information, with digital services now aiding research processes. In recent years, professional clubs have turned to Football Manager, a database-heavy video game, to help them scout new players, including those in the Middle East.
However, the traditional sporting world isn’t the only indicator of digital services being utilized to perform in-depth market research. Following the rise of digitalization, eSports betting now also uses digitally-obtained data. At present, prospective players can go to CasinoWings to list all online casinos in India, with many of the operators now offering eSports betting opportunities across a wide array of sports-related titles, such as FIFA 20. Typically, the in-game results of such betting markets are determined by the same data-driven systems that top-flight clubs are now favoring for player recruitment.
The Foundations for a Bright Football Future
Ultimately, the Middle East has made significant strides in the right direction by providing a dependable platform for the next generation of players to improve their game and reach the sport’s pinnacle. Moreover, with established clubs like Manchester City and PSG having local connections to the area, it may only be a matter of time before UAE-based players are having an impact on top-flight European leagues.