Has football become an outrage and a sham? On Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that the host of the 2034 World Cup would be Saudi Arabia. Some say the football association has blood on its hands.
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Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup
Has football become an outrage and a sham? On Wednesday, FIFA confirmed that the host of the 2034 World Cup would be Saudi Arabia. Some say the football association has blood on its hands.
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In 2018, FIFAThe Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world's highest governing body of association football. chose Russia to host the World Cup, just four years after it invaded Crimea. In 1934, the competition was held in Italy under fascist dictator Benito MussoliniThe fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. . In 2014, Brazil hosted the event, where citizens rioted ferociously against a government they said was letting them starve.
The historic football competition is held every four years, in a new host nation each time. Saudi Arabia will be the second nation from the Middle East to host the tournament, after Qatar, in 2022.
Saudi Arabia has a bad record on human rightsThe basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights., with international organisations highlighting its abuse of migrant workers, mass executions, allegations of torture and highly patriarchal system of male guardianship.
And not for the first time, Saudi Arabia has been accused of "sportswashing", or using sport to attract positive attention and shield itself from criticism of its human rights record.
According to a recent ITV documentary, as many as 21,000 Nepali, Bangladeshi and Indian workers have died in Saudi Arabia since it announced an initiative to attract sporting events around eight years ago.
How could the beautiful game ally itself with slaughter? Some say that football is no longer just a sport - now, it is a multibillion-dollar industry. It has lost its soul.
Has football become an outrage and a sham?
Yes! Allowing Saudi Arabia to host, knowing how many migrant workers are likely to die in the process, means FIFA has blood on its hands.
No! Football, like all sports, should be left out of politics, and all countries should be welcome to host sporting events.
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Keywords
Fifa - The Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world's highest governing body of association football.
Benito Mussolini - The fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943.
Human rights - The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights.
Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup
Death penalty: Members of the minority Shia muslim community in Saudi Arabia are still often treated as second class citizens by the Sunni ruling class. The image above shows a protest against the mass execution of 37 Shia muslims in 2019. Glossary
Fifa - The Federation Internationale de Football Association is the world's highest governing body of association football.
Benito Mussolini - The fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943.
Human rights - The basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. Some have called for animals and even natural phenomena like rivers to have some form of human rights.