FIFA-WM 2034 in Saudi Arabia: human protection endangered by money!

FIFA-WM 2034 in Saudi Arabia: human protection endangered by money!

FIFA officially awarded the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, a step that again causes massive criticism after the tournaments in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. The diocesan transport community in Austria (GDPÖ) expresses concerns about the human rights situation in the autocratic country and warns of the possible exploitation and endangerment of migrant work that is required to prepare the World Cup. Josef Eppensteiner, Chairman of the GDI, emphasizes that there is a lack of FIFA to request clear strategies or guarantees to improve human rights in Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International already accused FIFA of ignoring the previous grievances in Qatar, which is all the more significant in view of the alarming reports of executions and the general human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, as kathpress.at reported.

criticism of the award and possible questions of transparency

The FIFA decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia did without a real competition or discussion and was decided at a loud applause in a video conference. This type of vote makes it difficult to hear critical voices. Norway has particularly registered concerns. During the session, Lise Klaveness, President of the Norwegian Football Association, made aware of the problematic aspects of the award without actively participating in the applause. Despite their efforts to address the problems in advance, no substantial changes were made in the selection processes, such as Sportschau.de reported.