“Morally, it would make no sense. » In February, American footballer Alex Morgan, her compatriot Megan Rapinoe and even the Dutchwoman Vivianne Miedema were publicly outraged at the prospect of the 2023 edition of the Women’s World Cup (from July 20 to August 20) being sponsored by the Saudi Arabian tourism office.
By negotiating this juicy contract, the International Federation (FIFA) did not anticipate this outcry. No more, moreover, than the protests of the Australian and New Zealand federations, co-organizers of the tournament, who expressed to him, in a letter, their disapproval of this partnership. Under pressure, FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared, a month later, that the “discussions with Visit Saudi” finally had “did not reach an agreement”. An announcement that sounded like a victory for the rebels.
But Saudi Arabia has many other assets in its game. In recent years, sport has become a weapon of mass seduction for the Gulf monarchy. The world’s leading oil power hosts major boxing and horse-riding events, a global golf circuit and an annual Formula 1 race. In 2029, it will host yesterday’s Asian Games in Neom, a futuristic megalopolis under construction in full desert.
Only candidate for the 2034 World Cup
Above all, on Tuesday October 31, FIFA announced that the kingdom is the only candidate in the running for the organization of the 2034 Football World Cup. The future host country of what is one of the most watched sporting events on the planet must be formalized at the end of 2024, but the outcome is already almost beyond doubt.
To make its local championship attractive on a global scale, Saudi Arabia relied on the four major clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The latter belong 75% to the Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the richest sovereign funds in the world, already a majority shareholder of the Newcastle United club in England.
Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, Neymar, Kalidou Koulibaly, Riyad Mahrez… In the space of one summer, a multitude of stars joined the local championship, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, who had joined six months earlier , to Al-Nassr, one of the two teams in the capital Riyadh. These investments, which number in the billions, are part of the “Vision 2030” plan, launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, known as “MBS”, and intended to prepare for the post-oil era.
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