News of securing the hosting right of 2034 to the FIFA World Cup by the Middle Eastern kingdom, Saudi Arabia, is not something that didn’t attract controversial storms and made it a spot that raised many issues in a world sporting horizon. Even after putting much time, money, and effort into sports infrastructure building and hosting much international sporting activity over the previous decades, credible sportswashing accusations against that Middle Eastern monarchy seriously raise enough questions about it.
What is Sportswashing?
Saudi Arabia leveraged the sports world to demonstrate rising international strength because human rights concerns and freedom of speech constraints, along with minority neglect, seemed to fade from global view. The Saudi Arabian sports funding initiatives received intensive criticism since their recent purchase of Newcastle United Football Club in 2021.
Allegations of Human Rights Violations
Throughout several decades Saudi Arabia has gained worldwide recognition as a powerful entity that restricts freedom of speech. Saudi Arabia continues to detain political opponents while at the same time subjecting journalists along activists to torture before imprisoning them.
Some limited improvements have occurred in recent times such as permitting women drivers and expanding participation programs for women in sports but Saudi Arabian women remain to face extensive restrictions on their rights.
The management of migrant workers who work on event and project infrastructure construction has faced persistent complaints about their unjust working conditions.
Laborers are exposed to various cases of hazardous working conditions, unpaid wages, and even inhumane treatment. This develops the poor labor rights record of Saudi.
The Saudi Sportswashing Agenda
Sports investments from Saudi Arabia serve to support the nation’s goal of becoming an international force in both the entertainment and sports sectors. Saudi Arabia signed very expensive deals with prominent football clubs and their superstars; the country held numerous high-profile sporting events and heavily invested in the sports world in general through large investments into various sports-related organizations. Since 2014, Saudi Arabia has spent above $1.5 billion hosting sporting events with an allocation of $664 million towards motorsport events specifically.
Football and the English Premier League: Saudi Arabia has invested in football at a high-profile level, mainly through the purchase of players for its domestic league. Internationally renowned soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo made Al Nassr his new club.
The nation has presented several prestigious international sporting championships including Formula 1 races together with international boxing tournaments and international tennis events.
This notwithstanding, such incidents have been mostly condemned by the activists for diversionary purposes of shifting the world’s attention away from the human rights records of the Kingdom.
Role of FIFA and Ethical Issues
Being the spokesperson of global football, the resolution by FIFA that gave Saudi Arabia the right to host the World Cup in the year 2034 was bound to raise grave questions. Each day added to the criticism that FIFA is more concerned with financial considerations than it is with human rights violations and low moral standards.
The FIFA decision to grant major championship events to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup reveals a major issue with FIFA’s dedication to sporting equality along with justice in the sports world.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup selection for Qatar faced similar criticism due to its human rights problems regarding migrant worker conditions. However, the decision was finalized, and once the tournament arrived, the federation was bombarded with criticism everywhere.
A similar scenario would be played out in the land of Saudi Arabia as well. The financial and political influence that Saudi Arabia can muster will once again push human rights to the background.
The sports investments form an integral part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative which seeks to develop the economy and enhance global perception. Media outlets in the West express fundamentally unfavorable opinions about Saudi Arabian sports investments while questioning the sport-washing initiative.
The Global Implications on the Sporting World
This decision by Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup in 2034 holds wider implications for the sporting world at large. It will render an open-and-shut decision that countries not in line with the recommendation by their record on human rights can ensure hosting major sports events through the forte of their financial muscles and political clout, however horrible the treatment of citizens or the marginalized groups may be.
The World Cup is one of the events widely viewed and followed around the world, and the players involved, as well as the sponsors, may face ethical dilemmas about participating. Most players and sponsors who sponsored social justice and equality shall find it very difficult to participate in a single event hosted by such a country with that controversial reputation. There could be calls for boycotts or protests, further polarizing the global sports community.
Conclusion
Going without saying, that the bid presented by Saudi Arabia to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 carries a high load of very critical moral issues. Notably, records of Saudi Arabia on human rights, labor rights, and expression freedom are somewhat questionable to judge whether it makes a good hosting country for such a tournament. The sportswashing of sports as a tool to distract from the negative actions of a country should not be allowed to influence the selection process for such a prestigious event. FIFA needs to focus on the essence of the sport and human rights, not money and politics.