Global News
Despite all efforts in recent months, Saudi Arabia came away empty-handed in the fight for the 2030 World Cup. The desert state still has the goal of hosting a World Cup and is therefore applying for the 2034 World Cup.
Saudi Arabia still wants to host a World Cup
Today, Wednesday, FIFA announced that the 2030 World Cup will be held in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. This means that the Saudi Football Association and the sovereign wealth fund PIF are left empty-handed when it comes to awarding the most important football tournament in the world, even though numerous millions were invested in the summer to bring football in Saudi Arabia into the international spotlight. Stars like Karim Benzema and Neymar were lured into the desert. As the Athletic reportsthe desert state doesn’t want to accept defeat and apply for the 2034 World Cup.
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The bid for the World Cup is part of a large-scale sportswashing campaign by Saudi Arabia, which is intended to hide the lack of human rights in the country. In addition to the transfers of numerous top stars, a Formula 1 race and the purchase of Newcastle United by the PIF should also contribute to improving the image. “If sportswashing increases my gross domestic product by one percent, then we will continue sportswashing,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently said, drawing a lot of international criticism.
“As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup is a natural next step in our football journey,” the Saudi association said in a statement. Saudi Arabia has already been confirmed as host of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, to be held in Jeddah in December, and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
2023-10-04 19:27:05
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