The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will not be sponsored by Saudi Arabian tourism, the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) said on Thursday.
“There were talks with Visit Saudi, but in the end no contract was signed,” Gianni Infantino told a news conference after being re-elected FIFA president at the institution’s 73rd congress in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
“It was a storm in a kettle,” Infantino added, referring to the reaction of Australia and New Zealand in February to the announcement that the tournament, which runs from July 20 to August 20, could be sponsored by Saudi Arabia, because of that country’s track record in terms of women’s rights.
The New Zealand Football Association said it was “shocked and disappointed” that FIFA had not consulted them.
“FIFA is an organization made up of 211 national federations, there is nothing wrong with accepting alliances from Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, Brazil or India,” Infantino defended, however.
The Australian and New Zealand soccer federations welcomed FIFA’s announcement.
“We welcome the clarification,” the Australian rules football leader said in a statement. “Equality, diversity and inclusion are very important commitments” to the Australian FA, James Johnson stressed.
“We believe it is essential that all trade associations align with the vision and values of the tournaments in which they participate,” the New Zealand FA said.
In December, the UN Human Rights Council named Saudi Arabia one of the world’s top five countries for violating human rights, stressing that women are particularly vulnerable to abuse.
Women are victims of strong discrimination in Saudi Arabia, which the country explains with its special Islamic character which, according to the authorities, justifies a social and political order different from that of the rest of the world, the list points out.
The FIFA president said Thursday that player bonuses and club compensation for the 2023 World Cup have tripled to $152 million (143 million euros).
However, he stressed that television operators have not been interested in broadcasting the Women’s World Cup: “If they offered us 100 million [de dólares, 94 milhões de euros] for the men’s World Championship, we are offered one million [de dólares, 940 mil euros] or less for the women’s tournament, while broadcasters criticize FIFA for gender equality on the issue of bonuses.”
“You can offer 20% less or even 50% less, but not 100% less, women deserve more, much more and we are here to fight alongside them,” she said.
In February, the Portuguese women’s team secured unprecedented qualification for the World Cup, where it is part of Group E with two-time world champions the United States, runners-up the Netherlands and Vietnam.
Source: TSF
