– / AFP
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, here speaking at the FIFA Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 11, 2024.
FOOTBALL – There was no more suspense but it is now official. Saudi Arabia will organize the 2034 World Cup, the FIFA Congress decided this Wednesday, December 11. The move reinforces the Middle Eastern country’s growing influence in global sport, despite criticism over human rights.
Gathered by videoconference, the delegates of the 211 member federations ratified by virtual approval the Saudi file, which remained the only one in the running at the end of a procedure limited to Asian and Oceanic candidates in the name of geographical rotation.
Saudi Arabia, the emerging superpower of world sport – from F1 to the future e-sport Olympics, including the 2029 Asian Winter Games – found itself the only candidate after the withdrawal of Australia and of Indonesia, and the shelving of China’s footballing ambitions.
The ultraconservative kingdom, launched into a strategy of economic diversification and improvement of its image, currently only has two of the 14 stadiums with at least 40,000 seats required. Beyond the logistical challenge, the scorching summer could force the competition to be moved to winter or late autumn, as in Qatar in 2022, but we will have to deal with Ramadan, expected in December.
The award of the competition to Saudi Arabia “endangers lives and reveals the emptiness of Fifa’s human rights commitments”immediately said NGOs and supporters’ representatives in a joint text. By validating the Saudi file by acclamation, the FIFA Congress “decided to ignore our warnings”write in particular Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the International Trade Union Confederation (Ituc) and the organizations Sport and Rights Alliance and Football Supporters Europe (FSE).
Norway points to a process “defective and incompatible”
“Today, there is no shortage of evidence: migrant workers exploited and victims of racism, activists sentenced to decades in prison for expressing themselves peacefully, women and LGBTQIA+ people facing legalized discrimination, or even residents expelled of force to make way for state projects”lists their press release. For the signatories, “It is clear that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by repression, discrimination and exploitation on a large scale”.
For its part, the Norwegian federation (NFF), already very critical of the attribution of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, refused to approve a process “defective and incompatible” with the principles “accountability, transparency and objectivity” claimed by Fifa, she said in a press release.
“Saudi Arabia can buy everything, including consciences”deplores for his part the lawyer Charles Consigny on RMC. “The way we systematically give in to money is quite lamentable”he adds.
In its evaluation report, FIFA nevertheless estimates that Saudi commitments in terms of human rights will require “a significant effort in time and energy” by 2034, but sees “a significant probability that competition will serve as a catalyst for current and future reforms”.
Furthermore, the 2030 World Cup will be jointly organized by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the first three meetings in South America (Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay), the FIFA Congress also approved as expected. Wednesday. This unique tricontinental formula, which raises criticism about the environmental impact of the competition, was the only one in the running after a series of withdrawals and groupings of applications.
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