Ahmed Ateef has taken aim at the finances of Saudi clubs. The former national team star reckons a strict application of financial fair play could stop a host of major clubs from registering new players, with their spending dwarfing their announced revenues.
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Speaking on the programme "Doorina Ghair", Ateef said: "If financial fair play were applied, no player would be registered at the top clubs." The comment raised plenty of questions about how the Roshn League's most ambitious clubs go about their spending and signings.
The former Saudi national team player argued that the money flowing into the transfer market has grown enormous, while the picture around club income and revenue stays murky for those following the game.
Clubs are splashing huge sums on signings, he added, without ever making clear the scale of their income, revenue or sources of funding. That, he said, only opens the door to more questions about the financial balance they are supposed to keep.
His comments land amid a sharp rise in deal values and player wages across the Roshn League in recent years, with several Saudi clubs muscling into the global transfer market. Financial sustainability and spending oversight have become a constant talking point as a result.
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For financial fair play to work, Ateef believes the clubs need to be far clearer with their financial data. Only then can anyone judge spending against revenue fairly, especially with the gaps between clubs widening and contract values climbing ever higher.
All of this reopens the debate over where spending in Saudi football goes next. Will the coming period bring tighter financial oversight, or will clubs keep spending at their current rate as they chase the ambition of building up the Roshn League and drawing in the world's biggest stars?