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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s soccer ambitions have become transparent and bright in 2023, and its next 11-year adventure to the men’s World Cup promises much more.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s football federation president Yasser Al Misehal said the oil-rich kingdom’s sport and society were undergoing transformative changes ahead of soccer’s biggest event in 2034.
“We want to do everything we can for our people, for our economy and we also need to welcome many other people from all over the world,” Al Misehal said.
Soccer has taken a prominent place in the Vision 2030 plan launched in 2016 to modernize the Saudi economy and society for a future beyond the oil production that fuels its spectacular wealth.
The program was spearheaded from the start by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then little known outside the region and now a key player in global politics.
The year of highlighting the Saudis in football began with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo at a Saudi club and ends with the most productive team in existence, Manchester City, betting on a name in Jeddah.
The Club World Cup final Friday closes the first FIFA tournament played in Saudi Arabia this century, and just weeks after the biggest hosting prize was all-but guaranteed.
FIFA fast-tracked finding a host for the 2034 World Cup in October and within days there was only one candidate.
FIFA’s final decision will have to wait until the end of next year, but there is no doubt that Saudi Arabia will add the 2034 World Cup to the men’s Asian Cup in 2027 and up to five consecutive editions of the last Asian Champions League. tournaments until 2029.
The question in the coming years is whether all 104 World Cup matches will be played in Saudi stadiums, or whether neighboring and neighboring states will have some matches to host.
Such an expansion would be in line with the ambitious plans of Crown Prince and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who have a close relationship.
“The answer is that it will be only Saudi,” Al Misehal said, noting that with “many cities and stadiums that we have, our plan now is simply to be a single host. “
Saudi Arabia’s length compared to neighboring Qatar, which last year hosted a 64-match World Cup almost entirely in the city of Doha connected via metro lines, is arguably a key difference between the two tournaments.
“You’ll be able to locate other cultures, other people, other atmospheres,” Al Misehal said of his home country, adding that Qatar “has done a wonderful job. “Logistically, it’s perfect.
Comparisons between how two conservative, Muslim-majority societies have prepared for a decade to host their World Cup will be inevitable.
In Qatar, problems with alcohol in stadiums and the manifestation of LGBTQ symbols such as the rainbow have erupted with a sponsor, some European groups and enthusiasts even after the games have begun. Qatar’s organisers have taken a tougher stance on the pitch after years of security promises.
“We welcome everybody, we respect everybody, but at the same time we have our own values, our own culture,” Al Misehal said. “Wherever we travel, we respect the values and culture of the other people we meet abroad and expect the same from our visitors. “
The pace of recent reforms in Saudi society, he suggests, has been “much, much more than what we’ve done in the last 80 years.”
The pace of change in soccer has been remarkable, if not yet as disruptive as the LIV project in golf.
Ronaldo’s arrival in January as a free agent as part of a $200 million annual salary was the spark for a lavish signing by European clubs charging around $900 million in transfer fees alone. European champions Italy coach Roberto Mancini was drawn to the Saudi Arabian national team.
More high-end offers at the top of the transfer market are expected in January, likely from the same clubs now majority-owned by the $700 billion Public Investment Fund.
“I have been contacted by several clubs from other parts of the world offering to transfer their players,” Al Misehal said, stressing that the deals are welcome by promoting clubs for their own investment plans.
The spending, he suggests, is part of a coherent plan to improve stadiums and grassroots venues for boys and girls inspired by seeing the likes Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema play for their local clubs.
All male players between the ages of seven and 25 today can be part of the national team that will host the 2034 World Cup, Al Misehal said.
“This shows exactly that we are in a transformational stage.”
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AP Soccer: https://apnews. com/hub/soccer
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