The Football Association of England has released a statement explaining that they have backed Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup after meeting with the Gulf country’s football federation and securing -se that “all fans would be safe and welcome”.
FIFA officially confirmed Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 tournament in an extraordinary congress on Wednesday. World football’s governing body also revealed this Morocco, Spain and Portugal will host it the competition in 2030, with three matches that year also organized in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as part of a centenary celebration.
The grand ceremony presided over by FIFA president Gianni Infantino was purely ceremonial as Saudi Arabia was the only nation to submit an official bid for the 2034 tournament.
The AFC representative has shown strong division, inspiring widespread protest from human rights organizations. A joint statement issued by 21 outlets described Saudi Arabia’s winning bid as a “reckless decision” that “will put many lives at risk”.
Shortly after the ceremony, the FA explained its position with a statement saying: “After a careful review of both proposals, we have supported both bids for the World Cup: Spain/Portugal/Morocco in 2030 and the ‘Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both bids are technically strong and meet FIFA’s criteria to host the Men’s World Cup.
“Our aim is to ensure that all our fans can attend and enjoy the tournaments.
“The FA board met with the Saudi Football Association last month to discuss their bid in more detail. We asked them to commit to ensuring that all fans are safe and welcome in Saudi Arabia by 2034 , including LGBTQ+ fans, assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all fans.
“Football is a global game and is for everyone. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion means being respectful of everyone, including all religions and cultures. We also believe that hosting World Cups can be a catalyst for a positive change, which is best achieved by working in partnership with host nations.
“We will work with FIFA and UEFA to ensure that commitments to respect all human rights are met.”
The Norwegian federation read a letter at the start of the congress “outlining its concerns about the bidding process…which was perceived not to be fully aligned with the principles and objectives of the governance reforms of FIFA 2016”.
