Despite Saudi Arabia’s very poor record on women’s rights, Visit Saudi is set to be among the sponsors of the 32-country tournament that will be held in the two countries from July 20.
Football Federation Australia and New Zealand officials said they had not been informed of the planned agreement and They jointly wrote to FIFA to urgently clarify the situation..
The Australian Football League said in a statement “a big disappointment” has not been “He was consulted on this matter before making a decision.”.
His counterparts in New Zealand told themselves “shocked and disappointed” that FIFA did not consult them.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said he expects two billion viewers to watch the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup.
The World Football Governing Council hopes this will help the development of women’s football, as the championship is shared for the first time between two countries.
This sponsorship project drew intense criticism: former Australian international Kathryn Gill claimed that FIFA did as well “obligated to respect all internationally recognized human rights and to exercise significant influence when they are not respected or protected”.
“The players’ goal is to make the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 a real force for good and they will continue to hold FIFA accountable when it undermines it.”Catherine Gill, Co-President of the Australian Professional Footballers’ Association added.
Nikita White, Amnesty International’s Australia campaigner, asked how the Saudi Tourism Authority could sponsor the Women’s World Cup whenIn Saudi Arabia, a woman cannot even work without her guardian’s permission..
It also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s “appalling record of human rights abuses”.
“The sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup by the Saudi authorities will be a typical case of sports laundering.”confirmed.
After Gulf neighbor Qatar hosted the men’s soccer World Cup last year, Saudi Arabia is also spending heavily on soccer to improve its image, such as recruitment in the gold award for Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo by Al-Nasr club.
The host country for the 2027 Asian Cup was confirmed on Wednesday and is considering a joint bid with Egypt and Greece to host the 2030 men’s World Cup.
