Pitiful attendance figures continue to plague the Saudi Pro League with just 431 fans showing up to watch Al-Okhdood vs Al-Orobah on Thursday.
While the division’s celebrity pin-ups – like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema – weren’t involved, plenty of star-power was still on offer. Kurt Zouma, on loan from West Ham, plays for Al-Orobah, as does ex-Fulham star Jean Michael Seri and former Burnley ace Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
However, of the three of them, Gudmundsson was the only one who featured in the game. Zouma, who last season skippered a Hammers side that reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, was an unused sub, while Seri wasn’t even in the squad.
The gate for the game, which finished 4-0 to Al-Okhdood by the way, was very nearly the lowest in the league for the 2024/25 season. The nadir was reached last month, when a mere 390 spectators attended the game between Al-Fayha and Al-Riyadh
Al-Okhdood and Al-Orobah are treading water just above the Saudi Pro League drop-zone at the moment. Thursday’s result helped move Al-Okhdood out of the bottom three into 13th place, though they’re only two points clear. Al-Orobah, meanwhile, are another two points above them in 12th.
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Neither side are funded by the PIF – the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia who have bankrolled the likes of Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal – and both are relative newcomers to the top division. Al-Orobah achieved promotion to the Saudi Pro League by finishing runner-up in last season’s Saudi First Division, the second tier of Saudi Arabian football, while Al-Okhdood did the same a year before.
According to Transfermarkt, over three-quarters of Saudi Pro League clubs have average attendance figures of under 10,000 this season – with even Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side struggling to consistently attract large crowds – and more than half of them averaged under 5,000 last season.
Collectively, Saudi clubs have spent more than £2billion on players in the past two years. But the influx of talent seems to have done little to move the needle in terms of week-to-week attendance numbers.
(Image: Getty Images)
As things stand, defending champions Al-Hilal, who have the likes of Neymar, Joao Cancelo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kalidou Koulibaly in their squad, are top of the table after winning all eight of their opening matches. Al-Ittihad, who have Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho in their ranks, are level on points in second – though have played a game more – while Al-Nassr, who face Al-Hilal on Friday (November 1) are six points behind in third.
Elsewhere, Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq are down in 10th after winning just three of their opening eight league games. The ex-England skipper is under pressure to turn things around, particularly after reportedly scheduling training times in order to watch his beloved Liverpool on TV.