Saudi professional football league renamed after Prince Mohammed

The name of Saudi Professional Football League has been changed to Mohammed bin Salman League for 2018-2019, the General Sports Authority (GSA) said on its official Twitter account.

The announcement was made during the opening of this season’s football league at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

A total of 128 professional players from 41 countries will participate in the season, including 90 new players signed during the summer registration period.

“We are aiming to be among the top ten championships in the world, and now the Saudi league is the second Asian championship in terms of players’ value after China, as we have beaten Japan and Korea, " said Turki Al Sheikh, GSA chairman.

The market value of the Mohammed bin Salman League reached a record-high of SAR 1.3 billion for this season, versus SAR 808 million in the previous season, according to data issued by Transfer Markt, a German website specialized in monitoring market value of football players and clubs.