February 3 – In a strongly worded letter, world governing body FIFA has rebuked criticism by Members of the European Parliament over the host award of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
It is a remarkable reprimand of Europe’s political leaders. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States and courts Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman with vigour, refuses to accept any criticism of the 2034 process as his organisation increasingly defies good governance and gets away with it.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote in a letter to MEPS, defending the Saudi World Cup, saying that: “All aspects of the bidding process were conducted in accordance with the key principles of objectivity, transparency and integrity, with the main documents and guidelines relating to the process made publicly available online.”
See:
– Norwegians slam FIFA’s 2034 World Cup award to Saudi as an untransparent fait accompli
– Danish MEPs criticise FIFA’s ‘closed doors’ World Cup decision making and suggest boycott
– Amnesty calls for 2034 World Cup bid process to stop
The letter, reported by Politico, pointed out that the 2034 hosts have “committed to ensuring equitable wages and decent working and living conditions for all individuals involved in the preparation and delivery of the FIFA World Cup.”
Grafstrom’s words came in response to criticism by a group of European Parliamentarians in December when FIFA steered the World Cup to the Middle East for a second time, and for a second time without transparency. In a stage-managed award ceremony on December 11, Infantino instructed the member associations on how to clap and wave through the Saudi bid.
Led by Danish MEP Niels Fuglsang, about 30 members of the European Parliament issued a warning to FIFA and Infantino, expressing their “grave concerns regarding the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.”
The lawmakers argue that the decision undermined “the principles upon which FIFA was founded.”
The letter read: “We also stand in solidarity with the professional footballers who have raised legitimate questions about FIFA’s partnership with Aramco. These decisions raise profound concerns about the alignment of FIFA’s values and its commitment to gender equality, human rights, and environmental sustainability.”
The parliamentarians demanded, “binding commitments on the following critical issues: Ensuring that all fans, regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexuality, will not face discrimination; ensuring that residents will not be forcibly evicted; ensuring that migrant workers will not be exploited; [and] ensuring that a sustainable climate strategy is in place for continuously reducing emissions.”
Grafstrom and FIFA, in their letter, however, felt the need to lecture the EU, emphasising the EU’s own cooperation with Saudi Arabia across energy, technology and business.
Grafstrom wrote: “The European Union has already demonstrated its commitment to strengthening economic, political and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia. Bilateral trade in goods reached €75 billion in 2023.”
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