“He Has No Moral Authority to Say That Because He Doesn’t Know the Saudi League” Al Hilal’s Jorge Jesus Blasts Ronald Koeman
After making the switch from Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, Steven Bergwijn saw his national team coach, Ronald Koeman, publicly announce that he would no longer be considered for selection. The remarks caused an uproar, and Al Hilal’s manager, Jorge Jesus, is the latest to offer his opinion on the matter and stand up for the winger.
Speaking in an interview with Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Jesus insisted that the Saudi Pro League’s level of competition is much higher than the Eredivisie’s and that Ronald Koeman’s sentiments are based on ignorance.
In defense of the Saudi Pro League, Jorge Jesus noted, “He has no moral authority to say that because he doesn’t know the Saudi League.” Making his assessment of the Dutch Eredivisie, Jesus noted, “And the players in Saudi compared to the Dutch league, there’s no way you can compare. His league is not quite the second division, but it’s one of the weakest leagues in Europe.”
With the stellar performances of Saudi-based players such as Al Ittihad’s N’Golo Kante and Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo, it is evident that the Saudi Pro League has some talented players. According to Jorge Jesus, it goes beyond individual talent as most teams have several top players on their roster: “Each team [in Saudi] has ten foreigners, all of whom, or almost all of whom, are from their national teams. It is a very strong championship.”
While Jesus has a reason to be biased in favor of the Saudi Pro League, it is evident that the league is growing in strength with each passing season. Teams are making targeted moves in the transfer market to secure talent for the future, and some have even taken to loan young talent to top European clubs to earn experience.
Jorge Jesus’s men will be in action on Saturday as they travel to Al Kholood in search of another three points to keep their winning streak going.
