England’s Football Association (FA) has clarified its decision to support Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup and says that it has received “assurances” from the Gulf country that LGBTQ fans will be “safe and welcome.”
This statement came after FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday, December 11, confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 tournament.
Debbie Hewitt, chair of the FA, told BBC Radio 5 Live that the FA asked “many questions” before supporting the bid. “It wasn’t a difficult decision – it was a very thorough process,” he said.
He said FA met Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) in November to discuss the bid in detail.
“We asked them to commit to ensuring all fans would be safe and welcome in Saudi Arabia in 2034 – including LGBTQ+ fans. They assured us that they are fully committed to providing a safe and welcome environment for all fans.”
He continued, “We asked a lot of questions, they gave us a lot of time and they gave us a lot of commitments and I think the important thing is that we will now work with them over the next 10 years leading up to the tournament to make sure that those commitments are delivered – from both sides.”
“We were reassured by the answers that we got and think this is about a partnership. A tournament is not just about the host. A tournament is about those who go along and play their part in it and that’s what we want to do,” Reuters reported.
The 2034 World Cup will be the second Middle East tournament, following its 2022 event in Qatar.
It will mark the first time a single host will welcome 48 teams following the tournament’s expansion.
The tournament is scheduled to be held in 15 stadiums in five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and NEOM.
Ten new stadiums, including the 92,000-capacity King Salman Stadium in Riyadh, will be constructed for the opening and final matches.
