Saudi Arabia has now been awarded the rights to host the FIFA football world cup 2034. It marks a remarkable change in the country, as what was once a closed nation is opening itself to the world, gradually modernizing and integrating with respect to international standards. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman has been at the forefront of these changes, he has launched an extensive program towards his vision 2030 plan looking to transform the nation.
This will mark the second time in only the past few years that another Arab nation has been given the chance to host the prestigious tournament. Saudi Arabia will become the second nation from the Middle East to host the mega football event, 12 years after neighbours Qatar staged the 2022 edition, where Argentina lifted the trophy. Meanwhile, the football governing body also confirmed that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host the 2030 edition with one-off matches in three South American countries.
This effort seems to be the latest in the series of initiatives by Bin Salman to push forward his Vision 2030 plan to make the nation a modern country. Following the official announcement of Saudi as the host country for the FIFA World Cup 2034 recently, Saudi, Welcome to Arabia, the official destination brand of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), has welcomed football fans from around the globe to experience the warm hospitality and vibrant culture of Arabia.
“We are incredibly excited to host the world’s largest sporting event,” says Saudi Tourism Authority CEO, Fahd Hamidaddin. “Saudi welcomed over 100 million visitors in 2023, and we are the fastest-growing tourism destination in the G20. As the Heart of Arabia, we are eager to welcome visitors to experience our beautiful country. We invite the world to experience the magic of Saudi whether seeking adrenaline, culture, or relaxation, a visit in advance of the World Cup will offer a taste of Saudi, and our famed hospitality, where, with hearts open, we invite everyone to experience the warmest of Saudi welcomes.”
The Saudi League
Beginning in 2023, the Saudi league started experiencing widespread international exposure due to attracting numerous top level players from European leagues through financially lucrative contracts, immediately becoming a star-studded league. The nation’s Public Investment Fund took a 75% stake in four founding members (Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr) in the same year as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
The country has since left no stone unturned in its efforts to brand the nation as a new sporting centre, with the advent of the new look Saudi League made international headlines as many star players from around the world began transferring to Saudi clubs for the 2023–24 season.
A record-breaking transfer window took place ahead of the 2023–24 season; Saudi Pro League clubs spent close to $1 billion, acquiring 94 overseas players from Europe’s major leagues. It also marked the entry of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the biggest modern sporting icons as the first star signing to the league, with the BBC deeming that he led this “revolution” in Asian football. Upon his move to Al-Hilal, Neymar also credited Ronaldo for the immediate transformation of the league. Other star players followed with Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Roberto Firmino, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Sadio Mané, Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson all joining up in the Saudi league.
Cristiano Ronaldo
On 30 December 2022, Saudi club Al-Nassr reached an agreement for the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to join the club, signing a contract until 2025. Ronaldo received the highest football salary ever, at €200 million per year, including a guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals bringing his total annual salary to a whooping €200 million.
Following the announcement, Ronaldo, who signed for Saudi club Al Nassr almost two years ago, backed his adopted home to deliver when the opening match kicks off at what will be the new King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh in 2034. “It’s amazing. I didn’t expect it, but it is so, so, so good the 2034 World Cup will probably be the best World Cup ever. After what I’ve seen today, I’m convinced that it will be amazing. The infrastructure, the stadiums, the conditions for the fans, the airports, and everything else, it’s amazing.”
“The future [in Saudi Arabia] is very bright in my opinion, not only for the World Cup, but because every year they host big events here: football matches, boxing. The quality of entertainment is very high. The country is unbelievable. The Saudis are very good people; they like to learn, which for me, is very important.” Ronaldo said.
A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo has been integral to the rapid development of the Saudi League. Attempting to bring a sporting revolution in the country that will also change the international image of the nation. “The league has grown so fast, even in the last year. If you look at the difference in that time, it’s amazing. The 2034 bid tagline ‘Growing. Together.’ is beautiful, because it’s what we all have to do. We have to grow together in everything, not just in football, but in everything in life. I believe Saudi Arabia will continue to grow and I’m happy to be part of this success in the country. I will be here for sure to see the World Cup.”
Sportswashing allegations
The consideration and now announcement of Saudi Arabia as a host has prompted backlash from rights groups due to the country’s dismal human rights record. “FIFA is willfully blind to the country’s human rights record, setting up a decade of potentially horrific human rights abuses preparing for the 2034 World Cup,” Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement in November.
Many rights groups have contested over the years that the Bin Salman regime has been tyrannical and has presided over numerous documented cases of torture, mass executions and forced disappearances. Vocal critics of the state, even on social media, have met with imprisonment and torture. Many western reports had concluded with that MBS had personally ordered the 2018 assassination and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi diplomatic office in Turkey.
It has also led rights groups to allege that the Kingdom is using sportswashing a term used to describe the practice of nations, individuals, groups, corporations, or the government using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing. A form of propaganda, sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport. At the international level, it is believed that sportswashing has been used to direct attention away from poor human rights records and corruption scandals.
According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia’s hosting documents show it plans extensive construction work to prepare for the World Cup, including 11 new and refurbished stadiums, over 185,000 new hotel rooms and the expansion of other infrastructure including airports and roads. “Saudi Arabia’s massive infrastructure deficit will rest entirely on the backs of migrant workers building it,” Human Rights Watch said in a report, adding that an independent analysis commissioned by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation as part of its FIFA bid was “embarrassingly inadequate.”
Human Rights Watch, along with 10 other rights groups and labor organizations wrote to the law firm that produced the report for the Saudi federation to voice their concerns. The Human Rights Watch said there was no meaningful response from the firm. “Not a single migrant worker, victim of human rights crimes, torture survivor, jailed women’s rights advocate, or Saudi civil society member was consulted for FIFA’s supposedly independent report, FIFA’s treatment of the Saudi bid is an abysmal failure to implement mandatory human rights risk assessments and protections for the millions of migrant workers who are going to make the 2034 World Cup possible.” it said.
On one hand it is a good thing that the highly radicalized Saudi regime is finally letting go of its past image as a tough centre of Islamization. Many countries had over the years been plagued by the radical form of Saudi Islam being propagated across different regions leading to a rise in terror outfits inspired by the teachings. With Saudi today actively delinking from its Islamist past it is now looking to rebrand itself as a hub for tourism with all kinds of international events. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo it has roped in a number of celebrities to help in this endeavor. While Human rights groups continue to attack the Bin Salman regime for its autocratic dictatorship, a modern, open and accepting Saudi will definitely be a welcome change for the world.