Football is growing in popularity in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia's national soccer association was founded in 1959, the same year its membership in FIFA was granted. The country had a slow introduction to the game and has performed very well since that time. When the economic boom in Saudi Arabia came in the 1970s, abundant finances were made available for soccer" (Anon 2002 1).
Saudi made news by playing well in the World Cup: "Saudi Arabia's first attempt to qualify for the World Cup came in 1978. It lost to Iran and was eliminated. It won back-to-back Asian cups in 1984 and 1988, was runner-up to South Korea in 1986, and captured the Fahd Cup Championship for Africa, Asia, CONCACAF and South America in 1992. Qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup came when Saudi Arabia beat Iran, 4-3, on October 28, 1993, in Doha, Qatar" (Anon 2002 2).
The team I am interested in, Al Ittihad, won the Crown Prince's cup in 2001. "Al-Ittihad, a Saudi Arabian soccer club, won first place in the recent Asian Cup soccer competition, beating Iraq's Talaba in the semi-finals 3-1, and South Korea's Chunam in the final, 3-2 with a golden goal in extra time. Based in Jeddah, Al-Ittihad is one of the strongest teams in Saudi Arabia where many international members play" (Anon 2001 2).
Saudi football is gaining not merely in popularity, but in its talent base. Even as the country's national team was made some surprising showings, so the individual teams are now recruiting top coaches and showing a far better overall expertise than ever before. Given the popularity and the potential of privatizing these teams, my goal is clear: I want to be at least part owner of Jeddah's Al Ittihad when it becomes available for private ownership.
The reference to George Steinbrenner, who ownes the highly successful New York Yankees was not made in jest. Mr. Steinbrenner builds strong, winning teams. He spends money eagerly n ot only to a...