Saudi Arabia Vows to Host 2034 World Cup Amid Human Rights Concerns

In a surprising move, the Football Integrity Committee of FIFA has given Saudi Arabia high marks in its bid to host the 2034 soccer tournament, despite warnings from human rights activists about the country's "astonishing whitewash" performance in the report.

The bid, which is the only one submitted to date, came with low environmental risks but "medium" human rights concerns. However, Amnesty International called the FIFA report an "outright whitewash," claiming that it ignored clear evidence of worker exploitation and mass executions in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA's report praised the country's infrastructure development projects, including its extensive investments in sports facilities and hospitality industries. The committee described these plans as a "strong all-round proposition" with significant commercial potential.

But human rights activists argue that this investment has little to do with the benefits of the 2034 World Cup for ordinary citizens of Saudi Arabia but rather serves to repress critics and distract from deep-seated social injustices.

"We ignore some of the very concerns we have about Saudi Arabia's record... But for us, at any stage of the process, there is no compromise on these (human rights) issues," Amnesty International's Steve Cockburn said in a statement.