The FA is reportedly yet to decide whether it will officially endorse Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup.
The Middle Eastern country is the sole bidder for the tournament in 10 years time, with the showpiece event set to take place in Asia for just the third time in its history.
However, Saudi Arabia’s status as potential hosts has proven to be hugely controversial given their human rights record, criminalisation of the LGBTQ+ community and restrictions on women’s rights.
FIFA then generated controversy last week when they released their evaluation report for the bid, giving Saudi Arabia an average score of 4.2 out of 5, which was the highest ever awarded.
This was despite the report concluding the tournament posed a ‘medium’ human rights risk, leading to outrage from activists.
And, according to BBC Sport, the FA is still weighing up whether to offer its backing to Saudi Arabia at next week’s virtual FIFA Congress.
The FA is reportedly yet to decide whether it will endorse Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid
Saudi Arabia is set to be named the host of the tournament, which has proven to be controversial
Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and treatment of the LGBTQ+ community has been slammed
There are concerns at the governing body over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, although some figures are said to be wary of claims of hypocrisy if the FA refuses to endorse the tournament, but still sends an England team to compete in it.
The report claims the FA board continues to discuss the issue, while there is also uncertainty over how Saudi Arabia’s hosting rights will be confirmed.
A traditional vote would usually take place, but the report goes onto add that Saudi Arabia’s bid may be ratified by acclamation, where federations are asked to show their support by applauding, with the FA seeking clarity on the matter.
Meanwhile, in bombshell news on Friday, the DFB, Germany’s national football association, announced it would be backing the Saudi Arabian bid.
The DFB’s stance is particularly pertinent given their experience at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The German team received criticism from the public back home for their decision to take part in Qatar, while domestic TV audiences were much lower than usual during the tournament.
Fans also held protests across the country and the German media was critical of FIFA and Qatar, amid concerns over the state’s human rights record and laws criminalising homosexuality.
While at the tournament, Germany’s players also covered their mouths for their team photo ahead of their first game in what was an apparent rebuke at FIFA’s decision to prevent captains wearing ‘OneLove’ armbands to protest discrimination.
The FA’s uncertainty over whether to endorse the Saudi Arabian bid comes after Germany controversially gave its backing to the proposal (pictured – DFB president Bernd Neuendorf)
Germany’s players and public were outspoken in their criticisms of the 2022 tournament in Qatar
In a statement on Friday, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf had said: ‘We did not make the decision lightly and carefully examined the application for the 2034 World Cup.
‘There was an exchange with many interest groups and experts, including human rights organisations and fans, on the basis of which a well-founded decision was made.
‘We take the criticism of the applicant country seriously and will continue to engage in dialogue. Our goal is to work together with FIFA to improve the situation in the coming years.’
The ratification process for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups has been combined into one by FIFA, meaning the hosts for both tournaments will be decided together.
There is a multi-nation approach for the 2030 event, which will see Spain, Morocco and Portugal act as co-hosts, with early matches also being played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
As a result, if the FA opposed the Saudi proposal, they would seemingly have to also go against the bid for the tournament in six years time.
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