2034 World Cup should never go to Saudi Arabia. But FIFA turns a blind eye to sports washing

Say this for FIFA. It never misses an opportunity to do the wrong thing.

In the least-surprising development ever, Australia announced Tuesday it would not bid for the 2034 men’s World Cup, clearing the way for the world’s most prestigious sporting event to go to Saudi Arabia. FIFA insisted it will “conduct thorough bidding and evaluation processes” before officially announcing the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, but president Gianni Infantino and his minions gift-wrapped the latter tournament for Saudi Arabia, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman specifically, long ago.

Who cares about human rights, the oppression of the LGBTQ community, the complete disregard for women or the upending of soccer’s traditional calendar? If MBS is willing to shower FIFA with billions, and spend just as much on the tournament, Infantino and FIFA will gladly turn a blind eye to his sports washing.

Better yet, they’ll happily help MBS and Saudi Arabia do it.

“FIFA’s failure in 2010 to insist on human rights protections when it awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is a major reason why serious reforms were so delayed, and so often weakly implemented and enforced. FIFA is now required under its own human rights rules to take these lessons seriously and take firm action,” Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said in a statement issued by the Sports and Rights Alliance. 

“It would be a first step to salvage the already tarnished reputations of 2030 and 2034 World Cups with supporters.”

A nice thought. But anyone with any knowledge of FIFA, particularly FIFA under Infantino, knows that’s never going to happen.

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Infantino and soccer’s global governing body have routinely sold the beautiful game out to the highest bidder. Remember the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year? Qatari officials reneged on their promises of better treatment of foreign workers, tolerance for the LGBTQ community and consumption of alcohol, and Infantino and FIFA responded with a shrug. As if they were powerless bystanders instead of it being, you know, their tournament.

So long as the checks are clearing, they don’t really care who they do business with or what heinous things those folks are doing.

Nor, apparently, do they care about the damage they’re doing to the game.

Oh, Infantino and his surrogates will spout high-minded nonsense about bringing the game to a long-ignored audience. But the Arabian Peninsula will have been home to two World Cups in a 12-year span while the rest of Asia will have gone 30 years without having the tournament.

Soccer-mad South America has had the World Cup just once in 45 years, in Brazil in 2014, and it’ll be at least 24 years before there’s hope of it coming back to the continent. Africa is getting the World Cup for a second time — but only because Morocco was willing to throw in with Portugal and Spain for the 2030 event.

Then there’s the continued disregard FIFA has for the women’s game. While FIFA did a mad rush to line up hosts for both the 2030 and 2034 men’s tournaments, it won’t choose a site for the 2027 World Cup until next May.

And FIFA is so eager for all that Saudi money it’s willing to overlook the fact the kingdom’s interest in soccer has traditionally been a narrow one, as evidenced by its women’s national team beginning play less than two years ago. Or that Saudi Arabia’s searing temperatures will require the World Cup to be moved from its traditional summer window again to the late fall or early winter.

FIFA has never much cared about doing the right thing and, under Infantino, they’ve abandoned all pretense about it.

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MBS is a master at sports washing. Through the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, he’s bankrolled LIV Golf. He bought Newcastle United of England’s Premier League and gave Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and other international stars truckloads of money to play in the less competitive Saudi league. He’s floated the idea of a bid for the 2036 Olympics.

And now Saudi Arabia is almost certain to host a World Cup, arguably MBS’ biggest coup of all.

"We truly believe in the power of football to inspire future generations. We are committed to ensuring that a 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia helps grow the game across different corners of the globe and inspire future generations," Yasser Al Misehal, president of Saudi Arabia's soccer federation, said in a statement.

"Being awarded the right to host the tournament would be an honor and privilege."

For the Saudis, sure. For FIFA, it's yet another dark day.

Infantino and FIFA can, and will, defend giving Saudi Arabia the men's World Cup in any number of ways. But the truth is, when you do a deal with someone like MBS, the blood on his hands gets on yours, too.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.