- The hosting rights for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups have been announced
- Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 tournament, and the FA backed their bid
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Just when you thought Gianni Infantino couldn’t look more ridiculous, he was back behind a lectern on Wednesday, embarrassing himself and humiliating his organization.
He invited FIFA delegates to clap their hands “close to their heads” to endorse Saudi Arabia’s unopposed 2034 World Cup bid so they would be visible on their screens at the Zoom conference to support the hosts to confirm. “Wonderful,” he said enthusiastically, dodging any scrutiny or awkward questions about the lack of a transparent, competitive bidding process by staging this “acclamation ceremony” from behind a screen.
One commentator suggested that the 54-year-old would have at least anointed the Saudis by using a punch meter in the style of Hughie Green on Opportunity Knocks, although that would have led to a degree of dissent. The clap was short and indistinct enough to obscure any refusals among the 150 or so bleary-eyed delegates sitting in front of their webcams on the screen behind him.
In the days of Sepp Blatter – which now feel a sense of calm, despite all the accusations of bribes, criminality and the general harmful quagmire – these announcements took place in real places, to which real people were invited. The awarding of the last World Cup to Qatar – a mistake, Blatter thought prior to the tournament after many delegates allegedly smeared their palms – was dramatic to say the least.
But there was no tension about this, because Infantino had concocted matters in such a way as to exclude all possible opposition. A secret deal had knocked Europe, Africa and South America out of contention, giving the 2030 World Cup simultaneously to Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Don’t ask.
A confederation organizing the World Cup may not organize either of the following two. That left every country in Asia and Oceania that could decide within the unprecedented 25-day bidding period set by Infantino whether it could organize and finance a 48-team, 104-match tournament. Saudi Arabia, which is instrumental in funding the huge, irrelevant Club World Cup that Infantino sees as a personal legacy, happened to have such a plan at hand.
Gianni Infantino embarrassed himself and humiliated his organization on Wednesday
Infantino gave a bizarre presentation – using a Zoom conference call – as he announced Saudi Arabia as host for the 2034 World Cup
In the days of Sepp Blatter, which now seem halcyon, announcements took place in real places
Infantino, who has previously seen his attempts to bring the 2030 tournament to Saudi Arabia frustrated, has visited the country more than any other in the past five years despite the organization he heads having no office there. Even in the midst of the pandemic, he ignored advice against non-essential travel to perform in a ceremonial sword dance around the palaces of Diriyah for a Saudi PR video.
He skipped FIFA’s high-profile video game tournament in Liverpool in August to launch the Saudi Esports World Cup. These trips and many others preceded the launch of FIFA’s bidding process in 2034.
Asking Infantino about his intimacy in Riyadh was a challenge as he has not held an open press conference this year. That Zoom seclusion on Wednesday meant there could be no tough questions about FIFA’s technical assessment of the Saudi bid, which was snuck out on a Friday evening a few weeks ago. It earned the ‘bidders’ a record score of 4.2 out of 5, despite summer temperatures in Riyadh of 40°C.
Many hope for the best and cling to the idea that the control over Saudi Arabia that comes with its host country status could improve the workers’ situation in a way that did not happen in Qatar – where the disgusting disregard for the guest workers on whose backs the tournament was built, resulted in many deaths.
We await news of a turning point for the family of Dina Ali Lasloom, a young Saudi woman we have not seen or heard from since she was intercepted and forcibly returned to Riyadh in 2017 after fleeing a forced marriage and trying to apply for asylum in Australia. Human Rights Watch has tirelessly raised her case. It’s one of many.
It’s hard to imagine Infantino lobbying on behalf of her family. His attention now turns to the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Investigative sports website Josimar published evidence last week that FIFA paid school fees for one of his daughters at an expensive private school in Florida. According to FIFA, this is a ‘standard remuneration package for senior executives’. Don’t expect an explanation from the man himself.