England manager Gareth Southgate criticizes FIFA’s decision to host the 2030 World Cup in multiple countries.
Southgate believes that spreading the tournament across six countries on three continents could potentially cause problems in terms of the competition’s fairness.
In an unexpected move, the international governing body of soccer, FIFA, announced that the 2030 World Cup has been awarded to Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.
However, FIFA also revealed that Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay would have the privilege of hosting their respective opening matches, in commemoration of the tournament’s hundredth anniversary.
This decision pays homage to Uruguay, who hosted and emerged victorious in the inaugural edition of the World Cup a century ago, kick-starting their legacy of two World Cup triumphs.
However, Southgate questions the integrity of the competition while also expressing his concern that the plans for the 2030 World Cup seem disorganized and lack coherence when compared to the inaugural tournament of 1930.
The England national team boss said: “My big thing is I don’t get the integrity of the competition. I’m not a fan of it.”
The previous edition of the European Championships, Euro 2020, took place in several European countries.
Euro 2020 was spread out across 11 cities in 11 different countries, ultimately concluding with Italy securing victory over England in the Wembley final in 2021.
Regardless, Southgate contrasts the new decision by FIFA to the EURO 2020 assessing the cost of transportation and other risks involved.
He added: “We had a little bit with the last Euros but the World Cup plan seems disjointed — a different landscape for different teams in different groups.”
Top footballers back Saudi Arabia’s intention to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia have announced their plan to bid for the 2034 World Cup, as part of their ongoing efforts to establish themselves as a major sports hub.
This news comes one year after Qatar successfully hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia’s national team made headlines with a surprising victory over eventual champions Argentina in the group stage.
Meanwhile, football stars Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez, who recently signed with Saudi Pro League teams Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli respectively, showed their support for the bid on social media.
This confirmation has been welcomed by these high-profile summer signings, further solidifying Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global powerhouse in sports.
Benzema, who will earn a reported £258million during his three-year Al-Ittihad deal said: “Wow! Amazing news. The future is bright – congrats to all my friends and fans in Saudi Arabia on this big announcement”
”I know how much you love the game and what this would mean to you! It would be an incredible FIFA World Cup.”
Mahrez added in a separate post, saying, ”Here we go Clearly in the right place, now and for the future.”
”Amazing to see Saudi Arabia bid for the big one. I hear and see the fans. I feel the passion and love of the game. I hope the world gets to see it too.”
In the summer, reports were suggesting that prominent individuals joining the Saudi Pro League could be rewarded with bonuses for promoting the nation on social media channels.
The recent pursuit of hosting the World Cup is viewed as another milestone in fulfilling this aspiration.
And Steven Gerrard, who currently manages Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, has taken advantage of the so-called bonus to express his support for the bid through a social media post.
The former Liverpool captain wrote on his Instagram page: ”Incredible to think that the 11-year journey to a home FIFA World Cup might have already started for some of my youth players. Hard work starts now.”
All three posts shared by the football stars included the official bid hashtag, #Saudi2034.
