“The most cowardly sell-out in history”

Criticism of the World Cup in Saudi Arabia

“The most cowardly sellout in the history of sport”

The awarding of the 2034 Football World Cup to Saudi Arabia continues to cause outrage. The criticism from the media is harsh – and is harsh on FIFA.

The 2034 World Cup will be hosted in Saudi Arabia. The FIFA Congress awarded the 2030 finals to Spain, Portugal and Morocco and one opening game each to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. In particular, the awarding of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia has been criticized by human rights organizations.

The press reviews at a glance:

“USA Today” (USA): “Fifa is selling its soul for the billions from Saudi Arabia. An ugly day for the beautiful game.”

“The Sun” (England): “New World Order: Hosts of two World Cups confirmed – in 2030 on three continents and in 2034 in the Saudi desert dream for $3.2 trillion… FIFA has finally confirmed football’s worst-kept secret – the hosts of the next two World Cups have been announced. “

“The Independent” (England): “The award to host the Games in 2034 is arguably the most significant achievement yet in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to emerge as a world leader in sport, which its critics say is an attempt to whitewash its human rights record. The sentiment The inevitability was reinforced when Fifa President Gianni Infantino asked national association delegates to vote by acclamation, that is, either by raising or clapping their hands, and not through a traditional vote.”

“The Telegraph” (England): “Fifa’s grotesque bow to Saudi Arabia. The most cowardly sell-out in the history of sport – secretly, by acclamation, without even the hint of a truly independent audit.”

“The Guardian” (England): “The shamelessness of Fifa’s actions was evident in Zurich in a demonstration of contempt for governance, democracy, love, hope and common sense.”

Daily Mail (England): “Fifa is facing the same problem as before the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022: temperatures between May and September regularly exceed 40 degrees. This makes it likely that the competition will have to be moved to a time outside the traditional summer window . Between October and April, average temperatures drop to 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. A World Cup in January seems to be the most convincing option to avoid Christmas, New Year and Ramadan, which occurs in 2034 November 11th and December 10th.”

“VG” (Norway): “The tricks were so devious that it’s tempting to laugh. But it’s not funny that democracy in FIFA is actually on the verge of death. The saddest thing is that the vast majority of member states choose to become puppets of the Infantino’s increasingly authoritarian regime.”

“Gazzetta dello Sport” (Italy): “The future of football is heading towards the Arabian Gulf, on a carpet of oil dollars.”

“La Repubblica” (Italy): “A World Cup in the desert of lack of rights. The awarding of the 2034 Football World Cup to Saudi Arabia, which was already in the air and is now official, is prompting protests from associations that have been campaigning for citizens’ enforcement for years – and employ workers’ rights in the Kingdom.”

“Il Messaggero” (Italy): “Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 World Cup after being criticized by human rights groups over human rights issues. It is the second World Cup in the Gulf region after Qatar 2022, which was marked by a heated human rights debate.”

“Le Monde” (France): “There was no tension as the terms of this particularly rocky and opaque procurement process deterred potential bidders such as Australia from entering the race against Saudi Arabia.”

“Le Figaro” (France): “After Qatar in 2022, Saudi Arabia followed twelve years later. And all of this in a process that was as opaque as it was secured with a padlock.”

“L’Équipe” (France): “Despite criticism on environmental and human rights issues, the Spain-Portugal-Morocco trio was entrusted with hosting the 2030 World Cup with three games in South America, while the 2034 World Cup was awarded to Saudi Arabia… After a series of waivers for 2030 and an express procedure for 2034, the lack of competition had removed all tension.”