"Grotesque bow"

Press on the World Cup award: “FIFA sells its soul”

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino (left) is delighted with the decision that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia.

(Bild: Associated Press)

The 2034 FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. This is causing a lot of criticism and uproar. "FIFA is selling its soul for billions from Saudi Arabia. An ugly day for the beautiful game", writes the American daily newspaper "USA Today". Here are the international press comments on the awarding of the World Cup.

ENGLAND

The Telegraph: "FIFA's grotesque bow to Saudi Arabia. The most cowardly sell-out in the history of sport - secretly, by acclamation, without even a hint of truly independent scrutiny."

The Guardian: "The shamelessness of FIFA's actions was made clear in Zurich in a demonstration of contempt for governance, democracy, love, hope and common sense."

The Sun: "New world order: hosts of two World Cups confirmed - 2030 on three continents and 2034 in Saudi desert dream for $3.2 trillion... FIFA has finally confirmed soccer's worst-kept secret - the hosts of the next two World Cups have been announced."

The Independent: "The bid to host the 2034 Games is arguably the most significant success yet in Saudi Arabia's efforts to promote itself as a world leader in sport in what its critics say is an attempt to whitewash its human rights record. The sense of inevitability was heightened when FIFA president Gianni Infantino asked delegates from national federations to vote by acclamation, that is, either by raising or clapping their hands, rather than by a conventional vote."

Daily Mail: "FIFA faces the same problem it did before the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022: temperatures between May and September regularly exceed 40 degrees. This makes it likely that the competition will have to be moved to a time outside the traditional summer window. Between October and April, average temperatures drop to between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. A World Cup in January seems the most compelling option to avoid Christmas, New Year and Ramadan, which is scheduled to take place between November 11 and December 10 in 2034."

ITALY

Gazzetta dello Sport: "The future of soccer is heading for the Arabian Gulf, on a carpet of oil dollars."

Corriere dello Sport: "Saudi Arabia remains an absolute monarchy that imposes the death penalty and restricts freedom of expression - but women are now allowed to drive, work and do not have to wear the full veil."

La Repubblica: "A World Cup in the desert of a lack of rights."

USA

USA Today: "FIFA sells its soul for billions from Saudi Arabia. An ugly day for the beautiful game."

The Athletic/New York Times: "FIFA President Gianni Infantino accepted the Russian Order of Friendship from Putin in 2019. Yes, Saudi Arabia is just as suitable as these hosts. (...) The world's biggest oil exporter was the only candidate and had already passed the entrance exam. Officially, there was still an interview of sorts, but FIFA decided to replace this with a round of applause."

SPAIN

Marca: "The Congress, made up of 211 FIFA members, has 'by acclamation' designated Saudi Arabia as the right country for a World Cup that promises to be 'historic', as we have been assured from the Middle East. It will be historic because it will be the first 48-team World Cup to be hosted by a single country, as it will be held in multiple locations in 2030. It will also be historic because of the modernity and architectural complexity of the 15 stadiums."

El País: "After 48 years and the experience of the 1982 World Cup, Spain will once again host the World Cup. The Extraordinary FIFA Congress officially confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup and Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup."

El Mundo: "Spain's fears, which stemmed from the collapse of the association after the 'Rubiales case', are over. The launch of an election process in which the institution will have a president on December 16 was enough for FIFA to confirm the awarding of the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Morocco and Portugal at its congress. At the same event, which was chaired virtually by Gianni Infantino from Zurich, the 2034 World Cup was confirmed in Saudi Arabia, a country under scrutiny for human rights violations."

FRANCE

Le Monde: "There was no tension, as the modalities of this particularly rocky and opaque award process discouraged potential bidders such as Australia from entering the race against Saudi Arabia."

Le Figaro: "After Qatar in 2022, Saudi Arabia followed twelve years later. And all this in a process that was as opaque as it was padlocked."

L'Équipe: "Despite criticism on environmental and human rights issues, the Spain-Portugal-Morocco trio was awarded the 2030 World Cup with three matches in South America, while the 2034 World Cup was awarded to Saudi Arabia... After a series of waivers for 2030 and an express procedure for 2034, the lack of competition had removed all suspense."

NORWAY

VG: "The tricks were so devious that it's tempting to laugh. But it's not funny that democracy in FIFA is in reality on the brink of death. The saddest thing is that the vast majority of member states are choosing to be puppets of Infantino's increasingly authoritarian regime."

SWEDEN

Aftonbladet: "A new, corrupted decision-making process, a new increase in speed to follow the geopolitical and economic swings. This is where the money is, this is where the oil is, so this is where the soccer is going."

SWITZERLAND

Tagesanzeiger: "Infantino has tailored FIFA perfectly to himself so that he can realize his dreams of great power. The man from Valais has developed an obvious preference for autocrats, the Putins and Trumps of this world, for the Emir of Qatar or Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Money attracts him, as he has proven several times."

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "The 2034 FIFA World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia - a complicated debate about the dates is now underway. While the 2030 tournament will be held in six countries on three continents, the 2034 World Cup will once again go to a country with serious human rights problems."

Blick: "Due to the high temperatures in the summer months of up to over 40 degrees, it is likely that there will be no summer public viewings in this country, as was the case with Qatar. However, the 2034 program is already packed. The Winter Olympics will take place in Salt Lake City in February, the Asia Games will be held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh from November 29 to December 14 and Ramadan is the month of fasting this year between November 11 and December 10. That theoretically leaves two slots: A New Year's World Cup at the beginning of 2034 or even an Easter World Cup in the spring. Saudi Arabia itself has not yet decided on a fixed date as part of its bid."