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Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup today when it is quietly inaugurated “by acclamation” at an online FIFA Congress.
The Middle Eastern nation is the only candidate for the competition in 10 years’ time and will be confirmed with a round of applause from delegates in what seems a rather absurd way of deciding which country will host football’s greatest spectacle.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup and FIFA will group the two events. By also organizing a match in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina to mark the centenary of the first World Cup, it means that Fifa’s rotation rules have effectively ruled out most other continents for 2034.
FIFA’s decision to open the process by 2034 with only a 25-day deadline for potential bidders to submit their documents also narrowed the playing field.
Australia and New Zealand were interested, but were unable to meet the requirements in that period. Interestingly, Saudi Arabia’s bid was ready and, with the backing of the Asian Football Federation, they advanced unopposed.
The evaluation of human rights is questioned
Concerns persist about human rights in Saudi Arabia. FIFA’s “independent” evaluation, carried out by a Saudi Arabia-based company, was branded “fake” by Human Rights Watch and there were fears of a repeat of many of the problems faced by migrant workers at Qatar 2022.
There is also the question of when the World Cup will be held and whether it will be in 2034.
The weather means it will have to be in the European winter, but November and December clash with the holy month of Ramadan, meaning it could be delayed until January and February 2035.
Olsson has concerns
Saudi Arabia’s bid appears to have been pushed by controversial president Gianni Infantino and former UEFA general secretary Lars-Christer Olsson has concerns.
“When I look at the handling of this particular vote, there are bad signs,” he told The Times. “It is not as corrupt as it was in the era of (former presidents) João Havelange and Sepp Blatter, but it bothers me that it is moving in a similar direction.
“It looks more and more like the FIFA of the Havelange era, when many things were decided by acclamation.”
And he added: “You should not vote by acclamation, you should vote with an adequate voting system. That is the only way for those who are against to show that they are against. Otherwise, it will be seen as simply a unanimous decision by Saudi Arabia in FIFA records.
“But many associations simply follow FIFA, looking for something for themselves. It is a carousel of negotiations. People are forgetting their principles, the things that are the basis of their organization and what they must do to be faithful to them.”
