The Mirage of Al Ittihad: Where the Money Ends and the Chaos Begins
Let’s cut through the noise, shall we? When you see headlines like “Al Kholood vs Al Ittihad,” most people in Europe or the US immediately think, “Who are these teams?” or dismiss it as just another piece of Saudi Pro League (SPL) filler. But for those paying close attention to the Saudi project, this seemingly insignificant match against a lesser opponent like Al Kholood is actually a glaring symptom of a much deeper institutional crisis at Al Ittihad. The narrative of the SPL’s rise from obscurity to a global player was built on promises of world-class football, attracting superstars, and creating a new global sporting spectacle. Yet, here we are, watching one of the flagship clubs, heavily funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), stumble through the season with all the coordination of a three-ring circus, perpetually failing to meet expectations while engaging in what can only be described as internal political warfare.
The core issue isn’t whether Al Ittihad can beat Al Kholood; a quick glance at the massive financial disparity between the two clubs suggests Al Ittihad should win by default, or at least that’s what the script demands. The real story, the one that tells you everything you need to know about the current state of Saudi football, is the ongoing, quiet, and deeply cynical saga of Abdulrahman Al-Aboud. The data mentions Al Ittihad continues to exclude Al-Aboud from the first team, forcing him into an “individual training program.” Now, a cynical investigator knows exactly what that means. It’s a soft benching. It’s an exile. It’s the kind of corporate euphemism that tells you the internal structure of the club has completely broken down, and rather than resolving the conflict like professionals, they are engaging in passive-aggressive power games against a player who, ironically, was once considered central to the team’s identity before the arrival of the big European names.
What Does Al-Aboud’s Exclusion Reveal About Al Ittihad’s Management?
The situation with Abdulrahman Al-Aboud is a microcosm of the entire SPL project’s inherent contradiction. On one hand, you have the state-backed clubs throwing astronomical sums at foreign talent like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté, creating a global spectacle and generating headlines around the world. On the other hand, you have a complete lack of respect and integration for the domestic players who actually form the core of the team’s long-term identity. When a local player, especially one who once held significance, is cast aside and forced into “individual training”—a move typically reserved for players who have either completely fallen out with the manager or whose contracts are being actively squeezed—it sends a very clear message to every other local player in the league: you are expendable. Your loyalty means nothing once a bigger name comes along.
This isn’t just about Al-Aboud; it’s about the broader strategy. The SPL wants to be seen as a serious league, a competitor to Europe’s top five. But serious leagues build sustainable models that integrate domestic talent and foster a strong team culture. What we’re witnessing at Al Ittihad, a team that should be dominating given its resources, is the opposite: a complete tactical mess. The club has spent billions, yet they currently languish in sixth place in the Saudi Pro League table. Sixth place! For a team featuring Benzema and Kanté, that’s not just underperformance; it’s a failure of epic proportions. The match against Al Kholood, a team they should frankly walk over, becomes a high-stakes affair not because of the opponent, but because Al Ittihad cannot afford another slip-up, especially not with the internal divisions being laid bare by the Al-Aboud debacle.
The Cynical Investigation: Reading Between the Lines of Al Ittihad’s Struggles
Let’s dissect this further. Al Ittihad’s current position isn’t just bad luck; it’s a result of systemic failure. The assumption was that bringing in superstars would magically elevate the entire team. It clearly hasn’t. Benzema has looked listless at times, prompting widespread speculation about his commitment. Kanté, though still a force, can’t cover for a team that seems to lack any coherent tactical plan. The constant turnover in managers—Al Ittihad has seen multiple managerial changes recently—further exacerbates the instability. The club is clearly struggling to manage a dressing room full of egos and a roster where the disparity between the highly paid foreign stars and the local players is enormous.
The Al-Aboud situation is merely the visible crack in a facade that’s beginning to crumble. When a club can’t even maintain basic internal harmony, it’s a sign that the money has simply papered over the cracks of mismanagement. The lack of clarity around Al-Aboud’s status is particularly telling. If it were a simple injury, they’d report it as such. If it were a performance issue, they’d relegate him to the reserves. The “individual training program” language smells like legal maneuvering, perhaps an attempt to force the player’s hand or create an environment where he feels compelled to leave. It’s a textbook example of how not to manage player relations, especially when trying to build a new league from scratch. This type of high-stakes, internal politicking ultimately detracts from the quality of play and makes the entire enterprise look amateurish, regardless of the price tags attached to the players on the field.
What Does this Match Against Al Kholood Really Mean?
For Al Ittihad, this match is a must-win, purely because of the embarrassment factor. Losing or drawing against Al Kholood would be a catastrophic blow to morale and further expose the fragility of the club’s structure. The pressure on the remaining high-profile players to perform in these routine matches is immense, precisely because the club is so far behind where it expected to be. The match itself, however, is almost irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. The real game being played in Saudi Arabia isn’t on the pitch; it’s a complex game of international public relations and domestic consolidation of power.
The SPL project is part of Saudi Arabia’s larger Vision 2030, aimed at diversifying the economy and improving the country’s image. Football is the primary vehicle for this transformation. Al Ittihad, as one of the four PIF-controlled clubs, has a specific mission: win and attract attention. When they fail, as they have throughout this season, it threatens the entire narrative. The Al-Aboud situation suggests that the focus on global spectacle has completely overshadowed the basic, boring, necessary work of building a cohesive team. It’s a classic case of prioritizing a flashy exterior over a functional interior. This match against Al Kholood is simply the next opportunity for Al Ittihad to try and pretend everything is fine, to try and get three points, and to momentarily distract from the chaos behind closed doors.
The Cynical Investigator’s prediction for this match is straightforward: Al Ittihad will likely win because, despite their internal struggles, the sheer talent disparity between their highly-paid stars and Al Kholood is too significant to ignore. However, the victory will be hollow. It will solve none of the underlying problems. It will not make Al Ittihad a serious contender for the league title, and it will certainly not fix the fractured relationship with local talent like Al-Aboud. The match is just a footnote in the larger, much more interesting story of how even unlimited money cannot purchase a functional football club if the leadership lacks a clear vision beyond mere acquisition of talent.
