The president of the German Handball Association would only award a world championship to Saudi Arabia under certain conditions.
“One demand could be that women are allowed to play handball in a country like Saudi Arabia with the same level of naturalness as men. And if possible, in sportswear. And if these demands are not met, there must be consequences,” said Andreas Michelmann the “Mannheimer Morgen” and made it clear: “We are not the world association and can only make demands.”
Opportunity for social change
For Michelmann, a World Cup in Saudi Arabia could also be an opportunity for social change in the host country. “Unfortunately, in the past, this opportunity has been taken too rarely or not at all in almost all sports. Because, with all due respect, it must also be possible to openly address things that we dislike,” said the 64-year-old sports official.
Saudi Arabia is still investing more in football and wants to host the 2034 World Cup, among other things. Recently, a number of top international stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané and Karim Benzema moved to the desert state. It also recently became known that the kingdom is interested in hosting the Handball World Cup in 2029 or 2031. “Europe is no longer the sporting hub of the world,” said Michelmann.
Saudi Arabia is heavily criticized for human rights violations. The country is accused of wanting to polish up its image by investing billions of dollars in sport.