English FA Undecided on Endorsing Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid

The Football Association (FA) has not yet determined if it will formally back Saudi Arabia’s proposal to host the 2034 men’s World Cup, a decision anticipated at the virtual Fifa Congress scheduled for next week. The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah is slated for refurbishment ahead of the event. Sources have informed the BBC that deliberations among the FA’s board members are continuing. A proposal indicates that approval could be granted through acclamation, where supporting federations would demonstrate their endorsement by applauding, rather than via a conventional voting process. Nevertheless, Fifa has not yet verified this method, and FA representatives have requested further details regarding the procedure. Germany’s national football association, the DFB, declared on Friday its intention to cast a vote in support of both Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid and the multi-nation proposal for the 2030 tournament. The BBC has ascertained that officials within the FA are cognizant of apprehensions concerning Saudi Arabia’s human rights track record. Conversely, certain individuals are cautious about potential accusations of hypocrisy should the organization opt not to endorse the tournament, yet subsequently participate. Saudi Arabia stands as the only candidate for the 2034 competition, whereas the 2030 World Cup is expected to be granted to the unopposed joint hosts Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with initial fixtures also scheduled for Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. The approval procedure has been merged, meaning the hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 tournaments will be determined simultaneously. Consequently, it seems that if federations object to one bid, they would be compelled to withhold support for both, given the absence of distinct acclamation for each prospective host. Over recent years, Saudi Arabia has served as the venue for numerous prominent sporting competitions, such as Formula One, tennis, boxing, and golf. Nevertheless, the kingdom’s human rights standing, limitations on women’s rights, and the criminalization of the LGBTQ+ community have generated contention surrounding its aspiration to stage the men’s World Cup in a decade. Last week, Fifa published its assessment report for Saudi Arabia’s bid, assigning it an average score of 4.2 out of 5 – an unprecedented high – and concluding that the tournament presented a ‘medium’ human rights risk. This evaluation drew criticism from human rights organizations. In December 2023, the Saudi sports minister conveyed to BBC sports editor Dan Roan that ‘all are welcome’. The DFB convened a committee meeting on Friday to determine its position, resulting in unanimous external approval to back both the 2030 and 2034 bids. Its president, Bernd Neuendor, stated: “We did not make the decision lightly and carefully examined the application for the 2034 World Cup.” He added: “There was an exchange with many interest groups and experts, including human rights organisations and fans, on the basis of which a well-founded decision was made.” Neuendor further commented: “We take the criticism of the applicant country seriously and will continue to engage in dialogue. Our goal is to work together with Fifa to improve the situation in the coming years.” In 2022, England and Germany were part of a contingent of European teams that ceased their intentions to advocate for diversity and inclusion by wearing ‘OneLove’ armbands at the Qatar World Cup, following threats of sporting penalties from Fifa. The FA had previously voiced concerns regarding human rights within that nation. The FA chose not to provide a comment. The ongoing indecision within the FA’s leadership, with only five days remaining, underscores the intricate nature of this choice. While Saudi Arabia has frequently hosted high-profile sporting events, staging the World Cup would represent a significantly greater scale. The statement issued by the German FA implicitly recognizes that it anticipates criticism and emphasizes that the decision was not made without thorough consideration. Consequently, it appears probable that any decision made by the English FA will elicit divided opinions. Endorsement of the event would occur amidst significant objections from human rights and environmental advocates, and follows by only six weeks a letter from over one hundred professional women’s footballers to Fifa, pressing the organization to discontinue its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco. The footballers characterized such an agreement as a “punch in the stomach” to the sport, suggesting that granting the world’s largest football tournament to the kingdom would likely generate comparable, if not more intense, criticism. Conversely, an alternative perspective posits that sport possesses the capacity to drive positive transformation, and that bringing global attention to Saudi Arabia, should it host the World Cup, could potentially hasten and amplify reforms.