It should come as no surprise that they won the proposal to host the 2034 World Cup, marking the second time the tournament would take place in the Middle East. The tournament’s ethics, logistics, and format are all flawed, but the human rights aspect is the most significant. People will claim that it’s beneficial for the game; “growing the game” is the typical PR cliché, but it’s a complete nightmare for fundamental equality and inclusion. For good reason, the phrase “sportswashing” has been more popular than ever in recent years. There are currently four Formula 1 races scheduled in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, where women’s rights are abhorrent, hosted the WTA Finals. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is in its latter stages due to a breakaway LIV Golf competition that takes use of everything the PGA has to offer great golf entertainment while paying its players unthinkable salaries.
Saudi Arabia secures the 2034 World Cup.
Golf enthusiasts don’t care about Saudi Arabia’s human rights position; they just want to watch four rounds of golf from Thursday through Sunday, stroll around a beautiful course, and admire the athletes’ skills. Over its brief existence, the Saudi Pro League has seen significant transformations in the game of football. The addition of players like Neymar Jr., Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo has undoubtedly increased the game’s popularity there, but this is their approach. It is a strategy to divert attention away from the nation’s abhorrent human rights abuses, and it is completely effective. A 27-year-old man in Riyadh was imprisoned for a year in 2010 after being charged with the crime of “homosexuality.” He was not proven guilty; he was merely charged. As if he had any choice in being gay, he was later found guilty and given a sentence of five years in prison and 500 lashes, which is not just execrable in and of itself. I offer that example to show how frightening it could seem for someone of that sexual orientation to come to this country; it is impossible to do so without getting punished.
A unique but controversial event
The logistics come next, specifically the building of stadiums throughout the Kingdom. The competition will take place at 15 football stadiums throughout the nation, including in Riyadh, Jeddah, the future home of boxing, Abha, Al-Khobar, and Neom. The last one is particularly intriguing since it is a metropolis whose distinctive design, a straight line that would eventually stretch to 110 miles, will shatter any notion of modernism. The issue is that 11 have not yet been constructed; a whole city has not yet been constructed, so you can only imagine the difficulties we will encounter with migrant workers, who will be entrusted with building these “one of a kind” stadiums, as the Kingdom’s Ruler, Mohamed bin Salman, has put it. In preparing for the 2022 World Cup, Qatar did well to understate its impact on the fatalities of migrant workers. According to the authorities, 37 migrant laborers had perished in “non-work-related incidents,” whereas only three had perished in “work-related incidents.” It is a blatant fallacy. It doesn’t help that Saudi Arabia has a very closed press where journalists are heavily monitored, even when they are not working. 6,500 workers died between 2010 and 2020; while not all of these deaths were related to stadium construction, it still raises questions about the cause of death for the remaining number.
A World Cup under scrutiny
By altering the regulations governing regional rotation, it is entirely preventable. You know, the law prohibits one continent from hosting consecutive tournaments, which is fair and beneficial to the entire world. However, when discussing human rights and the exclusion of members of the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia, the term “fairness” is used oppositely. Since its debut on television in 1954, the World Cup has been free to watch in the majority of countries. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the competition go behind a paywall for the first time, though, given Saudi Arabia’s strong interest in the platform and an impending bid for the TV rights. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been a staunch advocate of Saudi Arabia’s sports dictatorship, which has been widely criticized, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Sportswashing and global perceptions
His relationship with the Saudi government is becoming too intimate for comfort, and given that FIFA is the largest football regulatory body globally, it raises questions about what might happen to this sport in the future as it gradually drifts away from its history and goals. Saudi Arabia is well-known for its glamorous events, for luring international football stars like Cristiano Ronaldo to play in its league, and for its creative ideas like the infamous “The Line” city plan. However, the reality for Saudi Arabians is that their fundamental human rights are disregarded, their liberties are curtailed, and they face harsh penalties.
A World Cup like no other: The controversy surrounding Saudi Arabia 2034
