December 12 – Environmental groups and activist player David Wheeler have condemned FIFA for awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s leading polluters.
On Wednesday, Gianni Infantino and FIFA awarded the finals for the second time to the Middle East with the World Cup traveling to Saudi Arabia in 2034, which will represent a crowning moment for the country that has invested billions in football.
Critics say this is to launder Saudi Arabia’s tarnished reputation and point at both human rights and environmental concerns as being major issues that the country should be made to address.
“Handing over the World Cup to a regime that does such obvious harm is a slap in the face to fans, players and anyone who puts this sport at the centre of their life,” said Wheeler, who plays for Wycombe Wanderers in England’s third tier.
“Football should be about respect, hope and community, but FIFA have ensured that its biggest tournament stands for damage, pollution and greed. At any level, football depends on a climate that’s fit to play in but we are running out of time to hold on to a safe future. That’s why we have to send the clearest possible message that this decision is completely unacceptable.”
The 2034 World Cup will become the first 48-team finals in a single country, following co-hosting editions in both 2026 and 2030 when the tournament will be staged in six countries across three continents. FIFA’s tournaments are at the heart of the trend to take mega-sporting events to a new extreme and demonstrate a disregard for climate change from football’s global governing body.
While Wheeler is a lone voice in the men’s game speaking up about the issue, women’s footballers have had no such qualms raising crucial issues that the world is dealing in civil society but which FIFA regards as contentious and in opposition to their own agenda.
Earlier this year, more than a hundred women’s players signed a letter to protest FIFA’s multi-million dollar deal with Aramco, calling it a “middle finger to the women’s game.” Their male counterparts have failed to follow suit with any initiative of their own.
“There’s little doubt that being awarded the 2034 FIFA Men’s World Cup is the crowning moment for Saudi Arabia after multiple years of acquisitions, mergers and sponsorship deals across global sport,” said Freddie Daley from the Cool Down Sport for Climate Action Network.
“This targeted and deliberate strategy has given the Kingdom an opportunity to rebrand itself and distract from its derisory human rights record and persistent efforts to derail global climate negotiations and lock in fossil fuel consumption for decades to come. Football is already being battered by fossil-fuelled floods and droughts, but FIFA are intent on adding more fuel to the fire.”
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