The man from Qatar who owns a European club says the Arabs aren't a threat to European football

Qatari businessman Nasser Al-Kehelaifi changed the landscape of football in France and Europe when he brought his immense wealth to Paris Saint-Germain over a decade ago. Today, he's the president of the European Clubs Association - and he finds himself quizzed by European journalists about how much of a threat Saudi Arabian millions are to the game on European soil. It's a funny situation.

Al-Khelaïfi was re-elected as the president of the ECA during the General Assembly held in Berlin, and he made a few hilarious claims about the state of football today. He also spoke publicly for the first time about the rise of Saudi Arabian football and whether it could pose a threat to the habitat of European football.

"I don't think there is a danger. We focus on Europe and our clubs. We have the best and most important competitions, the best players. It's not for me to judge what happens outside of Europe. We focus on ourselves."

It's sweet that the man from Qatar has come to see himself as a European man, but the irony shouldn't escape anyone who follows football. Yes, vast amounts of money that come from abroad can change the way football works. Before Nasser arrived in Paris, PSG were struggling to finish in the top half of Ligue 1 and came close to getting relegated one season. Today, they are nearly sure to win the league. So, let's not pretend Arab money isn't a threat. If you ask people who follow Olympique de Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais and other French clubs, the threat from the Arabic Peninsula is real and palpable. They felt it.

European clubs are determined to seek guarantees that Saudi clubs are really going to pay all those millions they included in numerous contracts with players and European clubs over the past year. All of a sudden, they worry about being dwarfed by money coming from far away. That is just another side of European hypocrisy.

Speaking to Argentine daily El Nacional, the former La Albiceleste international and Real Madrid star Jorge Valdano said nobody should forget that European clubs have been doing for decades what the Saudis are doing now - snatching talented players from other continents by offering them more money than they could ever earn at home. So, does everyone see it as a threat?

"It's a theory that is gaining traction in Europe. But Europe was the Saudi Arabia in the past twenty years, emptying all the other continents of their top talents. Well, Europe must acknowledge that a competitor has emerged with two legitimate rights. One, the financial capacity to make purchases, and two, a passion for football."

We can only hope Nasser and his buddies don't lose sleep over the "Saudi threat" and continue to dream their European dreams.