Australian players union condemns FIFA for awarding 2034 World Cup hosting rights to Saudi Arabia

In a statement emailed to Reuters on Thursday, Beau Busch, head of Professional Footballers Australia, emphasized that the tournament is associated with extensively documented human rights risks.

"By securing hosting rights to the global game’s most prestigious event, Saudi Arabia and FIFA must ensure the rights of everyone affected by the 2034 Men’s World Cup are upheld and safeguarded.

"However, FIFA’s ongoing governance failures and lack of accountability to its own human rights commitments leave no assurance that harm can or will be prevented."

Saudi Arabia has been accused by the Australian Association of human rights abuses while LGBT activists have also showcased their anger after the FIFA World Cup rights were awarded. In the build-up to the meeting and before awarding of rights, migrant workers groups and trade unions had also raised concerns over Saudi Arabia.

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On the football side of things, another Men’s World Cup in West Asia will result in significant fixture changes to football’s annual calendar. Like Qatar, Saudi will most probably host the World Cup in November-December, differing from the usual international break of June-July. This would result in fixture congestion in build-up and post-tournament.

The club fixture calendar will also take a significant hit with the season likely to start in late July or early August, before ending in late May or early June.  

(With inputs from agencies)