Questions to answer for Saudi Arabia as host of 2034 World Cup
As soon as Saudi Arabia was approved by FIFA as the host country of the 2034 World Cup, or in 10 years from now, Riyadh celebrated in full force. But on the world stage, there was unexpected criticism.
Saudi Arabia is the fourth Asian country to have the opportunity to host the World Cup. Following South Korea and Japan, which hosted the 2002 World Cup, and Qatar. Which recently hosted the 2022 World Cup.
Two weeks ago, FIFA announced its assessment of the bidding nations for the 2030 tournament. Which includes Morocco, Portugal and Spain. As well as joint bidders Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and Saudi Arabia, which is bidding for the 2034 tournament. FIFA gave the oil-rich country a score of 4.2 out of 5. The highest score ever given to a country in the assessment.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport, said: “As expected. FIFA is trying to use the https://ufabet999.app World Cup to whitewash Saudi Arabia for human rights abuses and has failed to protect workers affected by the deportation or arrested activists.”
To put it simply, Amnesty believes that FIFA condones human rights violations by allowing Saudi Arabia to host the world’s most popular sports tournament.
Qatar, which recently hosted the 2022 World Cup, has been heavily criticized for using excessive labor in the construction of stadiums. Which resulted in the deaths of thousands of workers, and for having laws that punish LGBTQ+ or alternative gender groups. Saudi Arabia seems to have the same problem as Qatar in the eyes of the world. Especially those who are serious about human rights.
Another problem that is like déjà vu is the competition period that Qatar was hit hard with because it had to adjust the competition period to be held in the winter of the host country. Because during June-July, which is the normal period for hosting the World Cup finals. The Middle East region is in the summer with very high temperatures. Therefore, it had to be adjusted to compete in the winter. Which is at the end of the year when many countries’ rainy season football leagues are playing. However, FIFA insists that Saudi Arabia has not announced that it will move the tournament to winter, as Qatar did. However, with 10 years to go until that date. It remains to be seen how the 2034 hosts will handle the matter.
FIFA and Saudi Arabia knew that when Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the host of the World Cup, they would be asked many questions, especially about labor, human rights, and women’s participation. They had prepared to answer these questions quite a bit. They may not have given direct answers, but they were on point.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the issue. Saying he understands the criticism and concerns, but he trusts the host country to handle these issues. We have made everything transparent and made changes in many areas, especially social and human rights issues. As part of hosting the World Cup, which the whole world is watching.
Saudi Arabia has 13.4 million migrant workers, or 42 percent of the country’s population. The size of the workforce is the result of the government’s Vision 2030 project. Which is modernizing the country with a series of construction projects. Construction and service workers struggle with problems such as illegal work, extreme heat, low wages and theft
Saudi Arabia’s online retail giant Noon , which sponsors Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Manchester City, has denied the allegations and insisted that Noon and its companies in the country take into account the health, safety and well-being of their workers in accordance with the law.
A worker told a human rights organization that he received his first two months’ salary on time. But after that, he never received it on time again. When he asked his manager, he was told that he would be paid if he died.
FIFA itself responded to this issue, saying that Saudi Arabia has assured that it will pay fair wages, including taking into account the well-being of workers. While adhering to international labor laws in all aspects
In terms of restrictions on women’s rights in this country, where there is no freedom in many matters, both Saudi Arabia and FIFA have clearly emphasized that the 2034 World Cup will be a benefit for Saudi women’s football. It has laid a good foundation for women to participate in football. There are currently two divisions of women’s football with more than 1,000 players, which is considered a first step success.
The LGBTQ+ perspective is against Saudi Arabia’s religious law, which has a huge impact on the feelings of the LGBTQ+ community. As the maximum penalty for this is execution. In recent years, there have been reports of a significant number of LGBTQ+ people being arrested based on their sexual orientation. So LGBTQ+ people are concerned about their freedom and safety when spending time in Saudi Arabia.
In 2023, the question was raised as to whether the country is LGBTQ+ welcoming.
Saudi Arabia Tourism announced in its travel guide that “all visitors are welcome and will not ask for personal details,” but did not specifically mention LGBTQ+.
Football matches and alcohol go hand in hand in many places, but Saudi law punishes those caught drinking. However, in January, the first alcohol-selling shop opened in Riyadh, the first in 70 years, but only in limited quantities and to non-Muslims.
Every question that has been asked has an answer. But that does not mean that it is what really happened, because no country would openly tell the world about its negative stories.
The expectation that football fans from all over the world want is to watch the World Cup happily. In a fun atmosphere, with rules that are not too strict. If Qatar has been a model, Saudi Arabia should be able to do better.
Most importantly, when the host respects the freedom of the fans, the fans must also respect the culture of the host. Because every version of the World Cup has its own greatness and limitations