2034 World Cup bid chief claims LGBTQ+ fans “welcome in Saudi Arabia” despite discriminatory laws
September 27, 2024The leader of Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup has expressed that the nation is open to all visitors, including LGBTQ+ individuals, despite existing laws that criminalise same-sex activity. In his initial televised interview, Hammad Albalawi refuted claims from human rights groups about sportswashing, ‘Yahoo! News’ reports.
Albalawi described Saudi Arabia’s current state as being on a “journey of remarkable transformation” and emphasised their eagerness to host the World Cup as a “natural next step.”
Addressing the sportswashing allegations, he asserted, “We’re not doing this to make a headline, we’re doing this for our people…This has everything to do with meeting our sporting objectives, welcoming fans and becoming the best versions of ourselves.”
When asked specifically about LGBTQ+ visitors, Albalawi assured that “everyone from all around the world” is “welcome” and “respected” in Saudi Arabia.
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He mentioned, "We respect the privacy of all of our guests," highlighting that more than three million fans have successfully attended the over a hundred sporting events hosted by Saudi Arabia. “People need to educate themselves about the Kingdom and the best way to do that is to come and visit,” he suggested.
Visitors would find “hospitable Saudis,” and the country is eager to host all its guests.
Saudi Arabia is currently the exclusive bidder for the 2034 World Cup, with FIFA scheduled to conduct an inspection visit in October before officially naming the Gulf state as the host later this year. This follows the 2022 international football tournament hosted in Qatar, which faced significant criticism due to its human rights practices.
Similar to Qatar, Saudi Arabia enforces laws against same-sex activity, with punishments including imprisonment, flogging, fines, deportation, and even death under Sharia law. There are also no legal protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ individuals, and although no specific legislation exists against trans people, there have been cases of arrests and prosecutions for ‘cross-dressing.’
This situation has led human rights organisations to oppose the idea of major sports events, such as the World Cup, being held in Saudi Arabia.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, remarked: “Awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without huge human rights reforms would guarantee that the tournament will be scarred by exploitation, discrimination and repression.”
He added that "Without a shadow of doubt, workers will die, activists will be arrested and fans will face discrimination. FIFA has no excuse. It claims to have introduced human rights standards into its World Cup bidding process but knows very well that there have been no real improvements in Saudi Arabia.”
Cockburn emphasised that “According to its own policies, FIFA should refrain from awarding World Cup hosting rights until binding commitments to improve human rights protections are fully agreed.”
The UK LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall has also urged action, stating: “Hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup will put Saudi Arabia in the global spotlight. This is an opportunity for the international and sporting community to challenge Saudi Arabia on human rights and equality issues and keep calling for change even after the final whistle is blown.
Stonewall added, “Major sporting events like the World Cup have the unique power to bring people together, but right now, LGBTQ+ fans will feel unsafe at the prospect of attending the 2034 tournament. We urge FIFA to prioritise safety for everyone, including LGBTQ+ people.”
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