Football World Cup in Saudi Arabia
Watzke on the 2034 World Cup: “What should FIFA do?”
Comments on the likely awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia: Dortmund’s Hans-Joachim Watzke. photo
© Bernd Thissen/dpa
The awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, which has been heavily criticized for human rights violations, is virtually certain. Watzke claims that FIFA’s hands are tied.
Borussia Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke sees no possibility of the 2034 World Cup being awarded Saudi Arabia can still be averted.
“I can very well understand that many people are not happy with it. But if I see it correctly, we don’t have any other applications. If no one applies, then what should we do?” said the Vice President of the German Football Association in an interview with the pay TV channel Sky.
“I have nothing to do with it and I’m not overflowing with joy now,” added Watzke, “but I’m fair enough to say: If no other country applies, what should FIFA do? (…) It was too “To be honest, there was no country where I had the feeling that they were really striving for this with all their might, like we were in 2006.”
After Australia withdrew shortly before the deadline, there is no longer any competitor for Saudi Arabia’s application. The final application, which will be examined by the world association, must follow before the award is made by a FIFA Congress at the end of 2024. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has already sold the awarding of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia as perfect in a post on Instagram. Saudi Arabia is heavily criticized for human rights violations.