FIFA inspection praises Saudi Arabia bid to host 2034 World Cup ahead of Dec. 11 decision

GENEVA (AP) — Ahead of giving Saudi Arabia the men’s 2034 World Cup to host, FIFA approved the quality of its bid in a 110-page evaluation Saturday that noted higher risks related to human rights in the oil-rich kingdom.

FIFA’s in-house inspection team noted Saudi Arabia must invest “significant effort and time” to fulfill promises for the tournament that comply with international standards, which were widely criticized this year at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The Saudi bid also was scored by FIFA staff as “medium risk” for huge construction projects to build most of the 15 stadiums and dozens of new hotels needed, plus picking which months to play the 48-team, 104-game tournament.

Shortly past midnight local time, FIFA published a mandatory evaluation of the Saudi project that is the only candidate since a fast-track bidding process was unexpectedly started in October last year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has built strong ties in recent years to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On Dec. 11, in a scheduled online meeting of 211 national soccer federations, FIFA will ask them to acclaim without an itemized vote both Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup — for which only Asian and Oceania members could bid — and the Spain-Portugal-Morocco co-hosting bid for the 2030 edition. That project also gives one game to each of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, which was the original World Cup host in 1930.

Trade unions, human rights groups and lawyers have raised concerns about who will work on Saudi construction projects and what legal protections they will have in the “kafala” sponsorship system that ties migrant workers to their employer. Two U.S. senators this month urged FIFA to find a different host for 2034.

The FIFA report said “it is important to note that the bid involves significant opportunities for positive human rights impact.”

Concerns about a Saudi-hosted World Cup include that it will repeat the issues seen in neighboring Qatar’s 12 years of preparing to host the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar needed hundreds of thousands of imported labor to work in extreme heat and with limited legal protections. The UN-backed International Labor Organization allied with Qatar as the kafala system was modernized, though more slowly and less completely than unions and NGOs wanted.

FIFA said Saudi Arabia is promising “the establishment of robust workers’ welfare systems to protect workers connected to tournament infrastructure.” The Saudi bid has committed to working with the ILO but not international trade unions or rights groups.

“As expected, FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid is an astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record," London-based Amnesty International said in a statement Saturday.

The 32-team World Cup in Qatar was played in just 28 days in November and December, outside the traditional time of June-July when temperature in the region routinely exceed 40 Celsius (104 degrees).

The November-December slot for a 48-team World Cup of about 38 days would be difficult for Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is hosting the multisport Asian Games in the first two weeks of December 2034 and the holy month of Ramadan also runs from mid-November to mid-December.

Another clash for international sports in 2034 is the Winter Olympics being hosted in two weeks in February by Salt Lake City, Utah.

On climate issues, FIFA noted the Saudi World Cup will have “a reliance on air travel” between the five cities proposed: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and Neom.

There has been speculation Saudi Arabia could eventually give some of the 104 games to neighboring states and emirates.

On the financial prospects for FIFA, the inspection report cited a “strong commercial position” with a “substantial hospitality footprint proposed.”

FIFA said it put a cap of 25% of the tickets being offered for corporate hospitality packages in the stadiums which range from 46,000 capacity to 92,000 seats for the planned King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh that will stage the final.

FIFA signed a World Cup sponsorship in April with Saudi oil firm Aramco and more deals are expected to follow the Dec. 11 win, including for the Club World Cup tournament that relaunches next June in the United States.

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