The last time I paid attention to anything about the games in the World Cup was 2018. To me the 2022 edition did not exist.
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It’s the way they threw all the countries together for 2030 so they could give it to them for 2034.
Like that’s simply a joke.
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its a ‘true’ world cup that one…
i didnt realise thered be games in SA…is that legit going to happen?..what would happen if those countries dont qualify…
as a matter of fact…does that mean spain portugul and morroco all get auto qualification?
Who knows and I’m not sure why games have to take place in two places that don’t have a centenary legacy.
I heard that the quarters bugger off over there or something.
Of course the sensible approach would have been just to hold one over in Spain/Portugal/Morroco and the 100 year one in South America with the final in Uruguay but no.
Someone needed their pay off.
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I think it was supposed to be a bigger South American bid vs a joint Spain/Portugal/Morroccoo bid, but some of the other SA countries pulled out so FIFA combined everyone who was left
Seems all rather convenient.
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Well done, same for me, and I hope that a lot more people will follow suit. 
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FIFA are considering forgoing a formal vote on the selection of the 2034 tournament and instead asking FAs to voice their approval with applause. This is not what you do when you think everything is above board
This piece talks about the English FA’s uncertainty in whether to formally approve the Saudi’s bid and cites supposed “complexity” in the decision
It is a sign of the complexity of this decision that the FA’s hierarchy are still to come down one way or another, with just five days to go.
The piece cites absolutely nothing that raises complexity. It lists a whole bunch of reasons why it is wrong that the Saudis should be awarded this (albeit while ignoring the sporting issue of fucking up the global calendar again to accommodate a winter tournament) and states that the FA are unsure in their resolve to actually do anything about it.
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Reports have it that FIFA will confirm 2034 in Saudi Arabia shortly.
The sport needs a major fracturing. Havelange started this process of moving power away from the ‘big powers’, but I doubt very much that he envisioned how much money would simply co-opt it.
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Confirmed. Another tournament to avoid.
I’ll run another alternative tournament… if I’m still alive.
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Glad I don’t watch this shit anyway but I guess that’s not the point.
FIFA seem like to enjoy getting underneath the bar for moral responsibility like it’s a fucking limbo stick.
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Yeah, another one I’ll avoid like the pest if I’m still around. A pity, because I usually love to watch the football world cups. But that one won’t get a minute attention from me.
But I’ll follow and denounce how many poor souls will be killed while building SA’s stadia. It will be many. Here is a statement from Amnesty International on the matter:
“FIFA’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk. Based on clear evidence to date, FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless. The organization risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.
“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham. Meanwhile, its continued failure to compensate migrant workers who were exploited in Qatar provides scant confidence that lessons have been learned. FIFA must urgently change course and ensure that the World Cup is accompanied by wide-ranging reforms in Saudi Arabia, or risk a decade of exploitation, discrimination and repression connected to its flagship tournament.
“FIFA’s flawed bidding process was also evident in the awarding of the 2030 World Cup, with significant human rights risks being left unaddressed. From excessive policing and forced evictions to workers’ rights and legalized discrimination, there remains a huge amount to do to ensure the 2030 tournament can be enjoyed by everyone in full respect of their rights.”
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Yeah, there will be more than a few dead South Asians building those stadiums.
Interesting - no other bidders for this one, or the 2030. Is that because the more traditional hosts have grown tired of the shakedown (or can no longer convince their governments to participate), or because after Qatar other bidders knew that the fix was going to be in with Saudi cash splashing around?
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S2 of World Corrupt covered it well.
The fix was in, but it was all but open. The structure of the 2030 tournament, accounting for the slots in the rotation of South America, Europe, and Africa, meant 2034 was required to go back to Asia. Several bids started being explored, but then FIFA suddenly pushed up the deadline for submission (note, this vote is 2 years earlier than the normal schedule), meaning that no one else was ready
While the vote was technically today, it has been fait accompli since October of last year as Saudi were the only bid to formally submit.
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This was meant as a joke, but it turns out this is essentially what they did but 4 years sooner
Not quite sure “turns out” was the right phrasing for that since it was already obvious then, no?
And not just from workplace accidents and exhaustions…
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As usual, money talks and money is the main driver behind anything related to footbll for FIFA. Joke organisation.
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at least SA has actually qualified for the tournament before, so there is some genuine world cup history…
the ‘only’ issue remaining would be the exploitation of stadium workers, how much of the current stadia is fit for cause?