”Saudi Arabia Has the Most Football Fans Per Capita in The World!” - Ben Harburg 159

Ben is an American investor and owner of Saudi football club Al-Kholood. He made history for being first non-Saudi to acquire a team in the Saudi Roshn League. Ben is also the founder of MSA Capital, a global investment firm managing over $2 billion in assets.

 

On this episode, Mo picks Ben’s brain on what first pulled him into the idea of buying a Saudi football club and why, out of all the options, he chose Al-Khulood FC. They get into what surprised him most about Saudi society since getting involved, and where he sees the Saudi league heading over the next decade, especially when it comes to breaking into the global rankings.

 

0:00 Intro

2:22 Early Life

5:05 Buying In: Reactions Barriers

8:32 Fan Experience

12:06 Why Saudi Football

17:19 Media Digital Strategy

22:38 Pre-Ronaldo League Momentum

31:29 Why Al-Kholood FC?

42:23 Saudi Talent

46:00 Facilities Overhaul

52:01 Privatization, Risk Sustainability

59:50 Vision, Season Start Message To Fans

1:06:35 Saudi’s AI & Tech Future

1:11:04 Food, Hobbies & Love For Football

1:16:18 Advice & Risk Taking

1:19:07 Message To Fans

1:23:20 Closing Remarks