Amnesty International considered that organizing the 2030 FIFA World Cup in countries including Saudi Arabia would be “almost impossible” if the International Federation “FIFA” correctly applied its human rights standards regarding the review of any bid submitted by the Kingdom.
And the British newspaper, The Times, revealed last Thursday that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is preparing to announce a joint offer with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 World Cup, before the spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mohamed Fawzy, confirmed that his country is studying with the same two countries to run for a file. A joint organization to organize the World Cup, according to Egyptian media.
Fawzy said in an intervention on Thursday night, Friday, on the Egyptian “DMC” channel, that “the three countries are working very hard” and the issue is still under study.
“Egypt will be one of the best countries in the world to host and organize” such a tournament, he added, noting that it has hosted several world championships during the last three years.
But Amnesty International stressed that FIFA must strictly apply human rights standards when evaluating any potential bid related to Saudi Arabia, in order to avoid the “mistake” made by its Executive Committee in 2010 in awarding the 2018 and 2022 finals to Russia and Qatar respectively. .
And the newspaper “The Independent” quoted the British news agency “PA Media” warning, Felix Jackkins, campaign manager for vulnerable individuals in the organization, that Saudi Arabia seeks to host the 2030 World Cup “as a kind of culmination of its reputation washing operations through sport, at the same time.” A time when human rights are deteriorating alarmingly under the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi Investment Fund succeeded in buying a controlling stake in the English club Newcastle last year, which sparked great controversy at the time, due to the Kingdom’s human rights record, as well as hosting Formula 1 races and high-level boxing matches.
“If Saudi Arabia actually bids to host the 2030 World Cup, FIFA must avoid the mistakes it made with Qatar and Russia and ensure that there is a rigorous assessment of the human rights risks in awarding the tournament to Riyadh,” Jackkins stressed.
He considered it “almost impossible to see how FIFA can reconcile the appalling human rights in Saudi Arabia with its human rights principles and responsibilities,” as he put it.
Neither FIFA nor Saudi Arabia has issued any official comment regarding the hosting offer so far.
In the event that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece submit a file to host the 2030 World Cup, they will face a strong file from Spain and Portugal, which announced in June 2021 their joint candidacy to host the same version of the World Cup.
Last month, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay announced their joint candidacy to organize the 2030 World Cup, which will mark the centenary of the competition that was held in its first edition in Montevideo.
Britain and Ireland have dropped the idea of another joint bid to focus on hosting the 2028 European Cup.
Only 13 teams participated in the first edition in 1930, and the entire tournament was played in the capital, Montevideo, in only three stadiums.
As for the 2030 edition, 48 teams will participate, and the four South American candidates to host it expect to hold their matches in 15 stadiums.
It is the first time that the number of countries nominated to host reaches four, knowing that the 2026 edition will be held in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.