Moroccan international Mohamed Rabii Harimatte has joined Qatari side Al Shamal after a Saudi Pro League deal dramatically collapsed over a disputed valuation set by the league’s own recruitment committee.
The 32-year-old midfielder, one of the standout performers as Morocco won the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, had been on the verge of signing for Saudi club Al Ettifaq this summer, according to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
Instead, he has completed a move from Royal Army (FAR Rabat) to Al Shamal for a fee of about $2.5m (£1.9m) – a figure significantly higher than the price reportedly imposed by Saudi authorities.
Committee ‘blocked’ Ettifaq move
Asharq Al-Awsat reports that the Player Acquisition Committee of the Saudi Pro League was directly involved in Harimatte’s case and took charge of the negotiations.
The committee is said to have insisted on valuing the midfielder at just $1.5m, a figure that effectively stalled Al Ettifaq’s efforts to finalise the transfer.
Because of that price ceiling, the Dammam-based club failed to secure Harimatte’s services, leaving the path clear for Al Shamal to step in and agree a deal closer to the Moroccan club’s demands.
The episode has deepened concerns inside Saudi football that central interference in transfer valuations is undermining the league’s ambitions to attract top talent.
Clubs unhappy with transfer interference
Several Saudi clubs have already complained that the Pro League’s Player Acquisition Committee is overreaching by dictating or capping the financial value of targets, the report adds.
Those complaints suggest that a number of potential deals have broken down in recent windows because the committee’s assessments did not match either selling clubs’ expectations or the buying clubs’ willingness to invest.
Critics argue that while financial oversight is aimed at controlling spending and maintaining balance in the league, rigid central valuations can cost Saudi sides key signings – as in Harimatte’s case.
Arab Cup star slips away
Harimatte’s departure will be seen as a missed opportunity for the Saudi Pro League, which has invested heavily in recent seasons to bring marquee names to the kingdom.
The midfielder was one of the most influential players for Morocco at the 2025 Arab Cup, staged in Qatar and won by the “Atlas Lions”.
His performances there were so impressive that he was voted the tournament’s best player – an accolade that further raised his profile and likely boosted his market value.
For Al Shamal, landing a current Moroccan international and recent player of the tournament is a notable coup. For Al Ettifaq and the Saudi Pro League, his move across the Gulf is set to intensify debate over how much control central bodies should wield in the transfer market, and whether that control risks undermining the league’s wider strategy to compete with regional and European rivals.
