Recent news by Saudi Arabia regarding its crack down on the trade of historical artifacts has rocked the headlines internationally. The initiative was introduced by the officials, among them Mohammed Mahnashi, the director of the legal team at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Commission, as a sign of the Kingdom in securing cultural heritage. But, beneath this veneered PR stunt, there is a calculated PR trick in the works of which he points out why Saudi Arabia is not a country that should host the FIFA world cup in 2034.
The Reality of Suppression of Culture Heritage.
Saudi officials boast of preservation, but the history of the Kingdom tells otherwise. In the reports of Human Rights Watch and UNESCO, many archaeological and heritage sites, especially in such areas as Al-Awamiyah and Diriyah, have been destroyed or reorganized within the framework of urban projects, organized by the state. Local heritage has been destroyed by the same government under the guise of protecting historical artifacts to benefit the commercial and political interests.
An example of this is the redevelopment of the Al-Masmak Fort where heritage communities were moved in the name of modernization. These inconsistencies beg the question: can the protection activities in Saudi Arabia be taken as authentic when its modernization agenda is systematically destroying the history that does not fit its national discourse?
Culture Control, Not Culture Care
The new laws in the Kingdom lay stress on the documentation of ownership and government pre-authorization of any sale of an artifact. This is apparently transparent. However, critics claim that these policies strengthen the state such as not ensuring cultural protection but real protection. The government has maintained the right of preemption- otherwise known as the ability to claim any cultural object at will.
This is indicative of a larger authoritarian trend: tradition and culture can only be useful when used to serve state propaganda. This censorship of artists, pressures on journalists, and criminalization of dissent, which has been observed today, now applies to historical memory. In this system, cultural property concerns less with preservation, and more with political power.
Global Sportswashing at Full Display
The emphasis on the fight against artifact trafficking in Saudi Arabia is a part of the bigger approach called sportswashing, which refers to using a sport and other events of international scope to divert attention on human rights violations and rebrand the image of international relations. The jewel of this campaign is hosting the FIFA world cup.
Amnesty International estimated that 172 individuals had been executed by Saudi Arabia in 2023, one of the highest execution rates per capita per country in the world. According to Freedom House 2024 Freedom Index, the Kingdom gets an 8 out of 100, which is classified as Not Free. Women rights activists continue to be spied on or sent to exile, journalists silenced and those who oppose torture or sentenced to death.
The drive by the government to emphasize the need to preserve the culture is therefore a handy narrative rebranding, as opposed to a country being criticized because of being repressive, instead of being a country that safeguards culture. The international community and the FIFA officials should be concerned with this mismanagement of image.
Protection of Artifacts as the Diplomatic Process.
The anti-trafficking effort was also termed the first line of defense in the borders by Mohammed Mahnashi when he explained that it was being trained together with the customs and security forces. Although this kind of cooperation is normal in proper governance, when it is practiced in Saudi Arabia it casts doubt.
The Kingdom erases the distinction between cultural protection and political policing by encouraging cooperation with the law enforcement agencies, the same institutions that have been accused of detaining activists and limiting movement. It is not as much of an effort of preservation of heritage but rather an expansion of surveillance potential in the name of international collaboration.
The language used in this initiative, registration is not a free pass to sell, also reflects more on control as opposed to conservation. The policy imposes the state monopoly on history instead of building up an open cultural economy. It is, essentially, heritage nationalism in disguise.
Reform In Saudi Arabia Must Not Be Confused With Real Change
The history of reform in Saudi Arabia should not be confused with real change. The Kingdom claims to protect heritage and this is not in line with its actions both on local and global platform:
Freedom of Expression: 50 or more activists will continue to be imprisoned in 2025 because of the freedom of expression.
Cultural Freedom: The culture of independent artists and filmmakers is censored with the government watching cultural expression in the form of permits.
Environmental Record: Saudi Arabia continues to be among the top five oil producers in the world, and despite creating eco-tourism at such projects as NEOM, the carbon emissions grow by more than 9% since 2020.
Human Rights Record: Reporters Without Borders reported that Saudi Arabia is ranked 170 out of 180 countries on freedom of press.
Such personalities portray a government with more interest in image than integrity. In such conditions, the organisation of the world’s largest sporting event is an invitation to justify the repression in the name of progress.
Why FIFA Must Reconsider
The decision to award the World Cup to Saudi Arabia is not about the sporting case, but a moral case. FIFA has been boasting of principles of fairness, equality and human dignity. Allowing football to be played in a state that is alleged to have engaged in systematic abuse, oppression of women, and dealing with local cultures would contradict those values.
The artifact trafficking program is merely a new episode in the wider Saudi Arabian campaign to reinvent its image in the world, just like its billion dollar sports investments in golf, boxing and football teams. Systemic injustice can never be wiped out with slick things.
The FIFA world cup 2034 must be an event that glorifies countries that practice justice, transparency, and respect of cultures, not countries that employ sports to hide oppression. As ethical sports representatives of the world, we need to urge FIFA to disallow Saudi Arabia to host the world cup until real reforms, which can be verified, occur.