Many people have slammed Saudi Arabia’s successful 2034 FIFA World Cup hosting bid. Although the kingdom has endeavored to present itself as a significant football rising star, administrative, human rights violations, FIFA corruption charges, migrant worker exploitation, sportwashing, torture, unfair trials, and part in war crimes rather unfit it a hosting place.
Although FIFA claims to be fair and honest, the selection of Saudi Arabia for the 2034 World Cup was hardly competitive and fraught with doubts about economic influence. This article goes into great depth as to why it is important to boycott Saudi 2034 FIFA World Cup hosting. country should not be allowed to have the honor of hosting soccer’s most important event.
A World Cup hosting country has to satisfy FIFA stadium demands. The 2034 FIFA World Cup will call for:
Currently, Saudi lacks enough stadiums to fulfill these requirements. Among the biggest soccer stadiums in the country are
Much smaller country Qatar constructed seven new stadiums to serve as venues for the 2022 FIFA World Cup; contrast this with. Building contemporary stadiums throughout many cities would be a major financial and logistical endeavor for Saudi Arabia, which is 214 times the size of Qatar.
The merciless summer temperatures and the bad air quality in Saudi Arabia, which routinely surpasses 45°C (113°F), render holding outdoor soccer games nearly unviable.
Daytime KSA Climate may hit 30-35°C (86-95°F), even in winter, presenting hazards for players, spectators, and stadium operations. Through Qatar’s cooling technology, athletes still suffered heat exhaustion during games. A competition held in the more arid environment of Saudi Arabia could elevate the chances of heat-related diseases.
Delayed projects of infrastructure caused in Saudi Arabia by financial mismanagement, over-ambitious planning, and bad execution are well recognized. Examples include:
The NEOM megacity initiative, forecast to run $500 billion, has been much behind schedule and over budget. Originally intended to be a major sports center, the King Abdullah Sports City development was reduced in scope owing to financial limitations.
Critics point out Saudi Vision 2030’s slow pace of development and absence of openness. Saudi Arabia is not guaranteed to finish the necessary stadiums on schedule for 2034, given those previous mistakes. Significant risks of uncompleted sites, last-minute building, and substandard infrastructure exist.
Saudi Arabia will have to construct at least 9-10 new stadiums to satisfy the least stadium demands of FIFA’s minimal level. Building one top-notch stadium costs from $500 million to $1 billion. Saudi Arabia could therefore spend more than $10 billion on stadium projects by itself, not including other essential infrastructure like roads, hotels, and public transit.
Saudi Arabia’s poor history of completing megaprojects together with its high building costs call seriously into question its capability to finish the required stadiums on schedule and within budget.
For building, Saudi Arabia depends significantly on immigrant workers; therefore, the nation has suffered severe human rights abuses concerning foreign employees.
In the Saudi Arabia building sector, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented forced labor, wage theft, passport confiscation, and substandard employment.
Some 6,500 migrant workers from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka perished during Qatar’s 2022 World Cup preparations owing to grueling working conditions.
Saudi Arabia, which has comparable labor laws, could have thousands of stadium construction-related fatalities if working situations are not changed.
Among the most concerning aspects of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid is the fate of the stadiums after the tournament. Many host nations’ unused or deserted stadiums, dubbed “white elephants,” have caused problems.
South Africa’s Mbombela Stadium, constructed for the 2010 World Cup, is currently mostly deserted since it is not regularly utilized.
Built for the 2014 World Cup, Brazil’s Arena da Amazônia has no top soccer team using it and demands millions in yearly upkeep.
Dancing to address the low local need, Russia’s Fisht Stadium—constructed for the 2018 World Cup—has been repurposed.
Saudi Arabia has no past of high local soccer attendance supporting long-term stadium use rights. The Saudi Pro League involves only 8,000-10,000 fans per game, well under the pressure of stadium capacity. Many of the new stadiums could be wasted investments if there is no definite post-tournament strategy.
With a meager public transportation system, fans find it hard to move across stadiums in Saudi Arabia. Previous hosts like Germany or Japan had excellent rail systems, but Saudi Arabia relies mainly on personal automobiles and restricted metro systems in large cities like Riyadh and Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia does have a national rail system capable of managing millions of fans going between several cities.
Saudi Arabia lacks enough hotel rooms to house guests given the more than 1.5 million fans anticipated to go there for the World Cup. In 2022, Qatar had to build recreational communities and bring in cruise ships for visitors to live. Probably Saudi Arabia will have similar hotel deficits.
Corruption in FIFA and FIFA’s ruling to let Saudi Arabia’s bid go unchecked begged questions of bribery. Usually, several countries vie for the privilege of holding the World Cup; but:
Billions upon billions of dollars have been spent in Saudi Arabia supporting large sports events.
The unexpected awarding of the 2034 World Cup without a bid calls into question FIFA’s honesty and whether money impact had a part to play.
Like Qatar, Saudi Arabia depends greatly on migrant workers for its construction projects, therefore highlighting major issues regarding human rights abuses.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch all provide evidence for:
Saudi Arabia human rights violations and the Kafala system still ties employees to their employers, therefore stopping them from moving or changing jobs free of authorization.
Physical abuse withheld salaries, passport grabs—the ILO has rated Saudi Arabia’s Kafala scheme as exploitative.
In Qatar, where more than 6,500 migrant laborers allegedly died building stadiums, FIFA Distracted from these worries. There is probably a comparable catastrophe in Saudi Arabia.
For Saudi Arabia, hosting the World Cup is not only about soccer; it’s a strategic move through sportwashing to improve their international image. With significant expenditure on global sports, the kingdom hopes to redirect attention from its totalitarianism and human rights abuses.
Although these investments are important, the acquisition of the FIFA World Cup would represent Saudi Arabia’s most significant sportwashing effort to this point ever. The worldwide popularity of the competition offers a chance to show the nation as open and dynamic even as its repressive measures stay in force.
Although the government of Saudi Arabia has a long record of stifling opposition, limiting women’s rights, and punishing activists, it is using sports to project a modern, open picture. Critics contend that hosting the World Cup would distract focus from present human rights violations.
Saudi Arabia, which has been widely alleged to use torture, unjust trials, and government repression, has among the world’s most rigorous legal systems.
A nation that torments its citizens does not merit holding a worldwide football festival.
In Yemen, where its military campaign has landed in Saudi Arabia, atrocities are meant to have been done.
By hosting the FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia could avoid responsibility for its part in the humanitarian catastrophe of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s absence of stadium infrastructure, harsh environment, human rights violations, exploitation of migrant workers, sportwashing techniques, and implication in war crimes make it inappropriate to hold the FIFA World Cup 2034.
FIFA is showing that wealth and influence trump ethics and human rights by giving Saudi Arabia the World Cup. Human rights advocates, soccer enthusiasts, and international bodies need to still question FIFA’s decision and ask for accountability.
Nations that support equality, justice, and honesty—not governments that abuse labor, stifle opposition, and violate human rights—should welcome the world’s biggest sporting event.