Saudi Arabia’s current strategy of forcing growth through marquee signings looks similar to what India tried with the ISL around 2014–17, when clubs were required to sign a big-name foreign player. The idea was the same: use star power to attract attention and legitimacy. The difference is scale and intent — Saudi clubs have unlimited state backing and a long-term global plan, while the ISL was a tightly budgeted, short-term experiment to kickstart interest. The concept didn’t fail in India as much as it outgrew its purpose and was phased out
by Street-Essay-4780