\n Norway are currently the sole nation to publicly express their decision to go against the vote. On Tuesday the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, Lise Klaveness, said: “Tomorrow’s vote is not about who gets the 2030 and 2034 World Cups – that has already been decided. The congress is primarily about providing feedback on Fifa’s allocation process.”
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“The board’s assessment is that the process does not align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system,” Klaveness continued. “By abstaining from acclamation, we are sending a deliberate signal that we cannot support Fifa’s approach.”
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The World Cup is heading to Saudi Arabia. This afternoon’s virtual Fifa congress in Zürich will officially confirm the 2034 hosts (and those of the multinational 2030 tournament), but this is a done deal. The speed at which a Saudi World Cup has developed from distant fear to total certainty has been breathtaking, and leaves plenty of difficult questions unanswered. For instance, was the decision to host the 2030 event across six countries on three continents – trumpeted as a tribute to the tournament’s centenary – actually a convenient excuse?
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With Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay (Conmebol), Spain and Portugal (Uefa) and Morocco (Caf) all sharing hosting rights, it left Asia and Oceania as the only choices for 2034. Fifa then opened the bidding process without warning, and while Saudi Arabia had a glossy document ready to go – packed with dystopian visions of glowing extra-terrestrial arenas – other interested parties had 25 days to get their act together. Australia were the only realistic competition, but soon ran out of time.
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Other hurdles were breezily overcome, including a Saudi FA-commissioned human rights assessment, labelled a “whitewash [of] One campaign group called out the “reality of abuse and discrimination faced by Saudi nationals and residents,” and was criticized by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others. Next was FIFA's own report on the Saudi bid, giving it a historically high score of 419.8 out of 500. None of these assessments address the plight of migrant workers, which has overshadowed the Qatar World Cup, which is at risk of repeating itself.
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Even the most wide-eyed and naive soccer fan can trace the World Cup's troubling history as a propaganda tool back to 1934, a century before the Saudi jamboree. Today's inevitable coronation feels like history repeating itself, with the film reels moving in increasingly darker shades. Will the next decade bring more light, clarity, or accountability? It feels less certain than before.
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main events
The FA is expected to support Saudi Arabia's bid
Paul McInnes
The football association is expected to support both Saudi Arabia's 2034 bid and the multi-nation 2030 proposal of Spain, Morocco and Portugal (as well as Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay). Their position has been under scrutiny ahead of the vote, and the FA have not commented publicly, but when asked later today it appears they intend to join in the public's “celebration” of the bid.
Norway is currently the only country to publicly announce its decision against the vote. “Tomorrow's vote is not about who will decide who will host the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. That has already been decided,” Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klavenes said on Tuesday. This meeting is primarily intended to provide feedback on FIFA's allocation process. ”
“The board's assessment is that this process is not consistent with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system,” Craveness continued. “By withholding applause, we are sending a deliberate signal that we do not support FIFA's approach.”
From Mussolini's World Cup through Argentina's military regime to Qatar, the World Cup has had a long relationship with what is now called “sportswash.” While checking out this gallery, I came across a really great quote from Jérôme Valcke, then FIFA Secretary General, in 2013. “Call me crazy, but sometimes less democracy is better when it comes to hosting a World Cup.”
preamble
The World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. This afternoon, the virtual FIFA conference in Zurich will formally decide on the 2034 host country (and the 2030 multinational tournament venue), something that has been agreed. The speed with which the Saudi World Cup has evolved from distant fear to complete certainty is astonishing, and many difficult questions remain unanswered. For example, was the decision to hold the 2030 Games in six countries on three continents (touted as a tribute to the Games' 100th anniversary) actually a convenient excuse?
With Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay (Conmebol), Spain, Portugal (UEFA) and Morocco (Caf) sharing hosting rights, the only options for 2034 are Asia and Oceania. FIFA then launched a bidding process without warning, while Saudi Arabia had prepared a glossy document laden with dystopian visions of a glittering extraterrestrial arena, while other interested parties It took 25 days to get them together. Australia was the only real competition, but time quickly ran out.
Other hurdles were easily overcome, such as the human rights assessment commissioned by the Saudi FA, which was labeled a “sham”. [of] One campaign group called out the “reality of abuse and discrimination faced by Saudi nationals and residents,” and was criticized by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others. Next was FIFA's own report on the Saudi bid, giving it a historically high score of 419.8 out of 500. None of these assessments address the plight of migrant workers, which has overshadowed the Qatar World Cup, which is at risk of repeating itself.
Even the most wide-eyed and naive soccer fan can trace the World Cup's troubling history as a propaganda tool back to 1934, a century before the Saudi jamboree. Today's inevitable coronation feels like history repeating itself, with the film reels moving in increasingly darker shades. Will the next decade bring more light, clarity, or accountability? It feels less certain than before.
