The Thinking ‘Kat: Sports-Washing and the World Cup
It was recently announced that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. It comes as no surprise to me that there is controversy surrounding this decision. There are grave concerns about the human rights record of Saudi Arabia, to say nothing of the approach to the LGBT community, and women’s rights. There is already the suggestion that Saudi Arabia is using the World Cup as a form of sports-washing. It certainly seems that way to me, and beyond that political and moral implications of awarding one of sport’s biggest events to a country with such a dubious record, there are other issues at work too. More on those later.
Covering up Cruelty
The Saudi regime may point to how it operates according to the Sunni intepretation of Sharia Law. The government believes in the absolute, objective, moral authority of Islam, and interprets it to permit, among other things, banning political parties not associated with the ruling monarchy, banning trade unions, and criminalizing any form of public criticism and dissent. There are a great many political prisoners in Saudi jails, and security forces are known to carry out torture in order to extract confessions. There have been high-profile gestures aimed at suggesting Saudi authorities are relaxing their positions, but whether these are genuine or merely perfunctory remains to be seen.
There is also a recurring theme of executing enemies of the state, in principle on the grounds of terrorism-related offences, though it is often the case that Shia Muslims – and others regarded as ‘deviants’ – are the ones executed, casting doubt as to what’s happening, and why.
Sport as a Weapon
The Saudi regime wishes to present a particular face to the world. They do not want people thinking of their questionable policies and activities, so they have turned to sport. Hosting major sporting events is a means of persuading the world the Saudi government is a welcoming, friendly establishment. They have already convinced Formula 1 to stage a grand prix there, and hosting the World Cup will offer further leverage. The welcome mat will be rolled out, but it will used to cover up their record. It will be used to distract and deceive. Unfortunately, the Saudi government has considerable sums of money at their disposal, and money, as we know, talks very loud.
It is shameful that sporting organisations – and indeed, any business – can shelve principles for the sake of money, though it is also one of the oldest stories in human history. It is extremely unlikely that FIFA will change their minds, and award the World Cup to another nation, but that is what should happen. Rewarding dictatorial regimes will never help anyone, other than those in power. It’s long-past time that our world changed how it approaches this problem.
