Saudi Professional League renamed as League of Professional ClubsRIYADH — Soccer clubs in Saudi Arabia would be able to sign only three foreign players as of next season, according to Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal, General President of Youth Welfare and President of Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). Prince Nawaf announced the decision following a meeting of the SAFF Board of Directors here Wednesday. The Board was of the view that reducing the number of non-Saudi professional players, from four to three, would give a chance to Saudi players to show their talent in the top Saudi league. Saudi clubs, according to the Board, spent more than SR400 million in two years on foreign players. Among other decisions announced by the sports chief the Saudi Professional League will now be called the League of Professional Clubs, while the First Division would be called the Professional League. The logos of the SAFF and Saudi competitions would also undergo a change. He also announced the establishment of Al-Wafa Charitable Fund, which will handle the federation's non-investment income, fines and gifts which would help support and assist personnel who fall on bad times. Prince Nawaf started the fund with a personal donation of SR1 million. In a bid to help develop football and increase its investments, Prince Nawaf also announced the formation of the General Assembly for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), which could even hold the federation accountable for its decisions. It will have representatives from members of the Board of Directors of SAFF, soccer clubs, players and referees. A committee would also be formed to specify the mechanisms for selecting the General Assembly from among the clubs, players, referees and coaches. Prince Nawaf also gave a green signal to the use of loudspeakers in stadiums. He also indicated that the clubs are in for a windfall, as they could secure additional sums of money according to their rankings in the league. According to the announcement made by Abdullah Al-Sahli, SAFF Acting Secretary General, the league winner will bag a sum of SR12 million. The amount will decrease gradually with the club finishing last taking home SR4,228,690. Prince Nawaf said the League of Professional Clubs, with 14 clubs, would be headed by Muhammad Al-Nuwaissir. A manager is yet to be appointed for it. The league would hold its first meeting in a month's time. The SAFF has decided to refer all matters related to clubs to this league. The Kingdom also showed interest in offering to host the 2013 Under-22 Asian Football Championship and the 2019 Asian Nations Cup tournament. He said this would be accompanied by a complete redevelopment of the sports facilities. The stadiums would thus get electronic entry gates and restaurants. The GPYW will also look into the subject of single sponsor for the Saudi national soccer team. A decision is expected after Feb. 29, when the national team takes on Australia in a World Cup qualifier. Prince Nawaf also denied reports that the qualifier would be Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard's last game with the Saudi team. The sports chief said he has not met the coach in four months.
