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Rabat – In response to growing concerns surrounding Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup, the country’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal has stressed that everyone will be welcome at the tournament, regardless of sexual orientation, BeIN Sports reported.
As the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has faced scrutiny over its laws criminalizing same-sex relations, with many raising concerns about potential restrictions that LGBTQ+ individuals might face during the tournament.
Al Faisal sought to allay these concerns in a statement to BBC, saying: “Everyone’s welcome in the kingdom. Like any other nation, we have rules and regulations that everyone should abide by and respect.”
The Saudi Minister highlighted his country’s adherence to rules, drawing parallels with international visits.
“When we come to the UK, we respect the rules and regulations, whether we believe in them or not.” He further emphasized that, throughout the 85 events hosted in Saudi Arabia so far, there have not been any issues.
The LGBTQ+ community faced similar concerns during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where rainbow-colored items were confiscated, and teams were warned about potential sanctions for wearing rainbow-colored armbands.
Read also: FIFA President Defends Qatar Against Western ‘Hypocrisy’
The minister also addressed concerns over migrant workers’ treatment, which plagued Qatar’s World Cup preparation, saying “I assure you it’s not going to be repeated.”
“We have 10 years to work on that, we already started in a lot of the venues, so we have a long time to do it at the right time, in the right process… We’re already developing infrastructure… so we are not required to build a lot more to host such an event,” he added.
Regarding the timing of the tournament, the minister expressed openness to exploring the possibility of hosting it in the summer, contrary to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was played in winter to avoid extreme heat.
“Whether it is summer or winter, it doesn’t matter for us, as long as we make sure that we deliver the right atmosphere to host such an event,” he explained.
While FIFA’s decision to award Saudi Arabia the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup has been criticized, the sports minister downplayed these concerns and emphasized that the country is committed to hosting a successful tournament and ensuring inclusivity and respectfor all participants.
