Fireworks and drones depicting the iconic golden World Cup trophy lit up the sky in Saudi Arabia’s capital Wednesday after FIFA confirmed the Gulf kingdom would play host to the tournament in 2034.
While the news was hardly a surprise, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the sole candidate last year, officials took advantage of the formal announcement to stage celebrations hailing their bid’s success.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International immediately condemned FIFA’s decision, saying it “marks a moment of great danger” and voicing concern about risks to construction workers.
Such external criticism has dogged Saudi Arabia during its push to rebrand as a sports powerhouse by staging high-profile tennis tournaments, Formula One races and boxing matches on Saudi soil.
On the streets of Riyadh, however, human rights worries were shunted aside on Wednesday night as Saudis voiced pride in their country’s newfound sporting clout.
“Welcoming the World 2034” was projected in Arabic on the side of one skyscraper, while on the city’s busy Tahliah Street lampposts were hung with the green, sword-emblazoned Saudi flag.
“I used to dream of attending the World Cup, but the logistics were always an obstacle. Now the dream has come true with the World Cup being organised in Saudi Arabia,” 44-year-old civil servant Abdulrahman al-Shehri told AFP.
“I will plan to watch most of the matches from the stadium. The tournament is close to home now.”
Khaled al-Azza, 35, said it was not long ago that such a notion seemed far-fetched.
Now, however, “there is nothing impossible for Saudis”, he said.
‘New audiences’
Sports are a major component of the Vision 2030 reform agenda overseen by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims to diversify the economy of the world’s top crude oil exporter.
To lure tourists and investors, Saudi leaders are aware they must soften their forbidding image and appear more welcoming to outsiders.
On Wednesday, 39-year-old Prince Mohammed “stressed the Kingdom’s great determination to contribute effectively to developing the game of football around the world, and spreading messages of love, peace and tolerance,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.
“Hosting the FIFA World Cup 2034 represents an important opportunity to highlight the continuous progress that the Kingdom has been experiencing,” the agency said.
In a message broadcast on the state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia was “opening up to the world” and could help football grow globally.
“Working with FIFA and all member associations, we want to share this journey, create new opportunities for growth and reach new audiences in new ways,” he said.
There is no doubt that preparing for the 48-team tournament will be a heavy lift.
The Saudi bid document said the kingdom would need 14 all-seater stadiums capable of holding at least 40,000 people.
It currently has two: Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium.
Ziad bin Nahit, 48, said he expected the task would be even more difficult than that faced by neighbouring Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup.
But Saudis were up to the challenge, he added.
“We are not only talking about the World Cup. We are talking about organising Expo 2030. We are talking about hosting other global sporting events,” he said.
“It is a matter of pride.”
Daily Star
