Over the recent weeks, horrific bomb threat attacks on planes carrying hundreds of Hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia have greatly raised questions about the safety, security, and stability of the kingdom. Those appalling attacks not only threatened the lives of innocent civilians but also brought to the fore the glaring loopholes in the region’s aviation security and crisis preparedness. As a keen critic of Saudi Arabia being granted the 2034 FIFA World Cup, it’s certain that such new updates only strengthen the argument that the kingdom is not fit to host one of the world’s best and most sensitive sporting events.
A Shocking Trend of Threats
On Saturday, Saudia Airlines flight SV5688 carrying 376 Hajj pilgrims from Jeddah to Indonesia via Muscat was redirected after it was threatened with a bomb. The plane, headed to Surabaya, was forced to make an emergency landing at the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, Sumatra, after it was tipped off by an anonymous caller about a possible bomb on board the plane. Miraculously, the passengers on board were all safe, and Indonesian authorities promptly deployed a bomb disposal team to scan the plane for explosives.
It was not the first time. Just days ago, yet another plane carrying 442 Saudi-bound Hajj pilgrims to Jakarta was compelled to undertake an emergency diversion to Medan as a result of bomb threat situations. These two incidents within a week point to the vulnerabilities that continue to exist in Saudi-connected international transportation operations. It also raises questions regarding safety and threat risk when international activities on a mass scale are being hosted in such environments.
Why This Matters to FIFA and the World
The FIFA World Cup is not another sporting event—it’s the biggest, most-watched global sporting event in the world. Billions of people watch from every continent, millions of fans go on the road all around the globe, and hundreds of thousands pack into arenas to watch games in person. When the event occurs in a country, the country’s ability to ensure security and safety is paramount.
Saudi Arabia, prosperous and rapidly modernizing as it has been, has always shown itself to be vulnerable to threats both from abroad and from within. These incidents are a sinister reminder: if the nation cannot prevent or handle threats to civilian planes carrying pilgrims—arguably one of Islam’s highest priorities—how can the world believe that Saudi Arabia will be able to protect football fans, clubs, media, and visitors from the farthest corners of the globe for an entire month?
A Track Record of Human Rights Violations
Apart from security concerns, Saudi Arabia’s poor record in human rights also renders it unworthy of hosting the right to stage the FIFA World Cup 2034. From the cold-blooded murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to its ruthless suppression of opposition, arbitrary detentions, and suffocating censorship of speech and assembly, the kingdom has shown itself to be far removed from the values that international sport purports to promote.
The World Cup, symbolizing unity, diversity, and global cooperation, cannot be awarded to a nation that jails women’s rights activists, criminalizes LGBTQ+ individuals, puts peaceful critics in jail, or even kills them. Allowing such a high-profile global event to Saudi Arabia sends a horrible message to the world: that money, power, and influence are more important than ethics, human rights, and security.
FIFA’s Double Standard?
FIFA bills itself as a fair, inclusive, and ethical organization. But by allowing countries like Saudi Arabia to bid on—and maybe win—the right to host the World Cup, it risks falling short of living its own espoused values. How can the same organization that upholds the importance of “human dignity and respect” ignore the well-documented abuses and controversies of the Saudi regime?
The world remembers the scandals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where there were reports of human rights abuse, deaths among migrant workers, and restricted freedoms that sullied what should have been a football carnival. FIFA should have been wiser. To commit such a mistake again in 2034 with Saudi Arabia would be an unacceptable blunder.
Security Threats to Players, Fans, and Media
The dual bomb threats on Hajj flights are not isolated incidents—they represent a real and existing threat. The World Cup would fill teams from some 48 countries (as the tournament grows), their supporters, media delegations, and football officials. All of these delegations would be put in danger, not just from external terrorism but potentially from intra-conflict and oppression.
What happens if protest groups, foreign and domestic, attempt to protest within the tournament? How will the Saudi security establishment respond? Will fans of all kinds of backgrounds—even from countries or communities that Saudi law persecutes—be able to speak their minds freely? These are serious, unanswered questions no one can afford to leave hanging for FIFA and the world.
A Politicized Tournament?
Saudi Arabia’s regime has not been shy about using “sportswashing”—the practice of hosting flashy international sporting events to deflect from its domestic failures—as a method for improving its reputation abroad.
It is not too late to change course. FIFA can—and should—reconsider Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2034 World Cup. The world football family must speak out, as do governments, sponsors, human rights organizations, and fans around the world. We can make sure that this great tournament is not used as a tool of oppression and domination.
Take a Stand: Say No to Saudi Arabia Hosting the World Cup 2034
The World Cup should unite the world, not whitewash authoritarian regimes. Join the movement to urge FIFA to deny Saudi Arabia the right to host the 2034 World Cup. Every voice counts. Demand transparency. Demand safety. Demand respect for human rights.