The Saudi Pro League continues the poaching of Europe's football elite following the creation of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The Middle Eastern nation hoping to become one of the world's most attractive hubs for sports made clear its intentions with a flurry of elite football signings, with the most prominent being former Real Madrid duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
The signings of top European coaches, including former Wolverhampton's Nuno Espirito Santo and Benfica's Jorge Jesus were not left out from this list.
A recent report by The Times has stated the Middle Eastern nation is now looking to shift attention to the referees and officials of Europe's elite leagues, a statement which has drawn a stern reaction from former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg.
Clattenburg on referees moving to Saudi Arabia
The 48-year-old retired referee who served as Saudi Arabia's director of referees between 2017 and 2018, as quoted by Sports Bible, said:
"My problem with the idea of having full-time referees going there from Europe is that I can't see referees giving up the chance to referee in the Champions League, Euros or World Cup unless they are at the end of their career.
The current Greek football referee consultant further stated:
"I thought I would be able to still go to the World Cup taking one of the European places but FIFA and UEFA insisted I should be viewed as a Saudi referee and I did not want to take the place of anyone from there."
It is reported that European elite referees earn between £120,000 to £300,000 annually - a fee the Saudi Pro League is willing to eclipse by a mile.
It remains to be seen if the European referees would jeopardise their chances of officiating in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League in favour of a move to the Saudi League.
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