An official attendance of 17,121 at the Saudi Pro League match between Al Nassr and Al-Khaleej at King Saud University Stadium, in Riyadh, on Nov. 4.
Photographer: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images EuropeWhat’s It Really Like to Go to a Football Match in Saudi Arabia?
For all the publicity around big name signings, the sport’s transformation has been happening more off the pitch.
The game at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Buraydah had the atmosphere of any spirited local football rivalry. Supporters in yellow jerseys banged drums and illuminated the late evening sky with flares.
Yet if the Saudi Pro League match between Al Taawoun and Al Raed demonstrated the passion for the world’s most popular game, it also shone a light on how the sport’s transformation to become a financial force in the kingdom will take more than huge sums of money.