- “Everyone is welcome to the kingdom,” says Prince Abdulaziz.
- Sports minister defends 2034 World Cup bid process
- By Qatar 2022, controversy over treatment of migrant workers ‘will not be repeated’
Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal defends his country’s right to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, believing SportsWash’s claims are “very shallow” .
The Gulf states are now the frontrunners to host the Games after Australia, which was seen as the only likely candidate, opposed the bid.
The Saudi World Cup is likely to be highly controversial, given concerns about the kingdom’s human rights record. But amid claims that Saudi Arabia spends billions of dollars on sports to boost its reputation, the Saudi government believes this investment will boost the economy, expand tourism opportunities and encourage people to be more active. He claimed to be encouraging it.
“Twenty million of our population are under 30, so we need to encourage them to participate. We play our part in developing sport around the world and becoming part of the international community.” Prince Abdulaziz (pictured above) said: BBC.
Asked if Saudi Arabia is a suitable host for the 2034 World Cup, he added: We want to captivate the world through sports. I hope people will have a great World Cup by 2034. ”
The BBC reports that while campaigners have acknowledged reforms to women’s freedoms in Saudi Arabia in recent years, they also point to a reported increase in executions, the continued use of male guardianship, and the imprisonment of activists for their online protests. He pointed out that he was doing so. Homosexuality is also criminalized in the country.
This has led to growing calls for FIFA to ensure it commits to improving human rights before formally approving Saudi Arabia to host next year’s World Cup. According to FIFA guidelines, any country bidding to host the tournament must commit to respecting human rights.
“Every country has room for improvement. No country is perfect,” Prince Abdulaziz said. “We recognize that these events can help us transform for a better future for everyone.
He continued: “Everyone is welcome to the Kingdom. Like any other country, we have rules and regulations that everyone must abide by and respect. We respect the rules and regulations no matter what. In the 85 events we have held so far, we have never had any problems.”
If Saudi Arabia were to host the event, it would almost certainly be the case that another Winter World Cup would be held, similar to last year’s Qatar tournament, due to the intense summer heat. However, Prince Abdulaziz said organizers were “definitely looking into” whether the show could be staged in the summer.
“Why not try the possibility of doing it in the summer? It doesn’t matter to us whether it’s summer or winter. [deliver] “It’s the perfect atmosphere to host an event like this,” he said.
Asked whether there would be problems similar to the controversy that marred the Qatar World Cup over workers’ rights, Prince Abdulaziz said:
“We have 10 years to work on it. We have already started in many venues, so it will take a long time to do it at the right time and with the right process… We We’ve already developed the infrastructure…so we’re not done yet.”To host an event like this, we need to build more facilities. ”
There are also concerns about the environmental impact of expanding the 48-team World Cup, with environmental groups highlighting the energy needed for cooling systems, water and carbon-intensive infrastructure projects.
In response, Prince Abdulaziz referred to the various initiatives that the Saudi government says it supports to move away from fossil fuels and reduce inaction, adding: We will definitely do our part to be environmentally friendly. ”
The sports minister also rejected suggestions that FIFA paved the way for Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup through a fast-track bidding process.
While the conversation turns to the Saudi Professional League, which has spent an estimated GBP 750 million (approximately US$943 million) on new players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Crown Prince Abdulaziz hopes to attract even more fans next season. I was optimistic that he would participate in the match. While big matches attract healthy crowds, such as the Riyadh derby between Al Nasr and Al Hilal, which drew 50,000 supporters, some smaller clubs only have spectators in the hundreds. , some with an average attendance of less than 9,000 people.
“It’s starting to build up…I’m sure next year we’ll have even more attendees,” Prince Abdulaziz said.
“Like anywhere else in the world, some matches draw much larger crowds than others, but so far all of our big matches have drawn record numbers…We Broadcast to 147 countries around the world.
“When we were planning the league’s development, we never expected it to develop at this pace, but it’s refreshing to see it in action and it really shows the importance of this. Our focus is to develop a league that attracts the best players in the world.”
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