Peseiro disagrees with Donis over foreign players’ impact on Saudi Arabia

Jose Peseiro has rejected Georgios Donis’ concerns about the effect of foreign players in the Roshn Saudi League, saying their presence has significantly benefited Saudi Arabian football and will help the national team mature.

Donis, the Saudi Arabia manager, recently complained that international players were receiving too little regular football for their clubs because of the number of overseas players in the domestic competition.

Speaking during the Gulf Arab Cup “Khaleeji 27” in Saudi Arabia, Donis said: “I am not afraid of anything, but having a strong league does not necessarily mean having a strong national team. The clubs rely on foreign stars, and this reduces the opportunities for Saudi players.”

The issue has also been raised by former Saudi Arabia managers Roberto Mancini and Herve Renard, neither of whom was able to achieve a major success with the national side.

Peseiro, however, takes a different view. The Portuguese, who currently manages AlUla, previously spent six months in charge of Al Hilal in 2006 and led Saudi Arabia between 2009 and 2011.

“They have helped, and they continue to help, enormously,” Peseiro said in an interview with Kooora, with the full interview due to be published later.

The 66-year-old added that training alongside players who had won the Ballon d’Or or European competitions could raise the standards of domestic footballers.

“Training every day alongside a player who has previously won the Ballon d’Or or a European trophy raises the level of any local player,” he said. “The requirements have increased, and that will make the Saudi national team much more mature.”

Peseiro also argued that the current state of Saudi Arabian football is vastly different from the one he experienced during his time with Al Hilal and the national team.

“The reality of Saudi football at this moment cannot be compared with what I experienced when I was managing Al Hilal and the Saudi national team,” he said.

“Football has developed enormously at every level and in every aspect. All this investment and progress will bear fruit in the short and medium term.”