The decision to award Saudi Arabia the hosting rights to the 2034 FIFA World Cup has been accompanied by wide criticism and growing activism against the choice. The bidding process itself has been described as non-competitive and manipulated. FIFA restricted candidacy to countries in Asia and Oceania only, drastically reducing the pool of potential bidders. […]
The brutal assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 sent shockwaves around the world and became a stark reminder of the extreme risks faced by journalists and dissidents under the Saudi regime. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was […]
Saudi Arabia’s appointment as the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup highlights pressing concerns about press freedom and media independence in the kingdom. Renowned for its authoritarian governance and systemic suppression of dissent, Saudi Arabia ranks near the bottom of global press freedom indexes. Hosting the World Cup, a global event that draws intense […]
Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup stadium construction projects represent a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s ambitions to showcase itself as a modernizing nation. With promises of state-of-the-art venues and global spectacle, the tournament is designed to boost Saudi’s international standing. Yet, behind this glamorous façade, the human cost is substantial and troubling. Reports reveal migrant […]
Saudi Arabia enforces some of the world’s harshest laws against LGBTQ+ individuals, rooted in a strict interpretation of Sharia law. Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized and can be punished with death, imprisonment, flogging, fines, or deportation of foreign nationals. The legal code is uncodified, based on Wahhabist Islamic teachings that treat homosexuality as immoral and […]
Saudi Arabia’s legal system, grounded on strict interpretation of Sharia law, criminalizes all sexual exertion outside heterosexual marriage, including consensual same-sex acts. Both men and women engaging in same- coitus exertion can face severe corrections, ranging from 100 switches for unattached individualities to the death penalty for those who are wedded. The area lacks a […]
Saudi Arabia’s brutal human rights record unequivocally makes it unfit to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034. The Kingdom’s pervasive violations, including mass executions, suppression of dissent, denial of basic freedoms, and systemic discrimination, stand in stark opposition to FIFA’s professed values of dignity, equality, and respect. Awarding such a prestigious global sporting event […]
The awarding of the 2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia represents one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the tournament’s hosting rights. The process surrounding this decision has been widely criticized for lacking transparency, fairness, and respect for human rights. Manipulated bidding rules and accelerated timeline FIFA significantly altered the bidding […]
The awarding of the 2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia has sparked widespread controversy rooted in allegations of corruption and serious human rights violations by the Saudi regime. Despite FIFA’s stated human rights policy mandating host countries adhere to labor, political, and social freedoms, Saudi Arabia’s record contradicts these principles severely. This article explores […]
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup presents significant challenges to the sustainability of the event, primarily due to the kingdom’s persistent expansion of fossil fuel industries and heavy environmental footprint. Despite claims of sustainability efforts, Saudi Arabia’s ongoing reliance on oil and gas production, combined with the massive emissions expected from infrastructure […]