FAM supports Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup bid

Saudi Arabia hosted the Flames to prepare for the 2021 AFCON in Cameroun

* Saudi Arabia Football has taken the world by storm by attracting the best football players from all over the world

* We can attest to the high level of professionalism of SAFF having experienced first-hand, the warm hospitality and first-class treatment accorded to the Flames

* When they camped in Saudi Arabia prior to going to the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroun in 2022 and earlier this year as we prepared for AFCON qualifiers

Maravi Express

Football Association of Malawi (FAM), which has football development working relations with Saudi Arabia Football Association (SAFF), has welcomed that country’s bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

This comes after FIFA named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup and declared that the 2034 edition will be held in the Asia or Oceania region.

Saudi Arabia had intended to jointly host the 2030 World Cup, offering to pay for new sports stadiums in Greece and Egypt if they agreed to team up with the oil-rich Gulf heavyweight.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu Manda is quoted by Fam.mw as saying they are delighted that its partner has declared interest to host the world’s biggest football event, saying: “This is promising to be an exciting bid having noted that Saudi Arabia Football has taken the world by storm by attracting the best football players from all over the world.

“We can attest to the high level of professionalism of SAFF having experienced first-hand, the warm hospitality and first-class treatment accorded to the Flames when they camped in Saudi Arabia prior to going to the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroun in 2022 and earlier this year as we prepared for AFCON qualifiers.

“We would like to wish our highly esteemed partner SAFF all the best with their bid for World Cup 2034. At the same time, we urge all partners of goodwill in Africa and beyond to support SAFF with the cause of the World Cup bid bearing in mind that the massive investment they are planning will have huge spin-offs,” Nyamilandu is quoted as saying by Fam.mw.

Fam.mw report further said the association signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SAFF in 2021 with a view of accelerating football development in both countries and explore various areas of collaboration.

Malawi has on three occasion benefited from the partnership with two senior national team camps and an invitation to an elite football technical seminar for former Flames coach Mario Marinica and his then assistance Patrick Mabedi.

SAFF hosted the Flames for two weeks in December 2021 for a pre-2021 AFCON finals in Cameroun and in March this year, the Flames had a 10-day camping in Saudi Arabia where they played two training matches on their way to Cairo for a 2013 AFCON qualifier against Egypt.

Saudi state news agency, SPA reported on Wednesday that its bid “intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football”.

FIFA said bids for the 2034 World Cup would be limited to Asia and Oceania, because of Wednesday’s decision to award to Morocco-Spain-Portugal and the 2026 edition allocated to the Canada-Mexico-United States – the first to include teams from 48 different countries.

Apart from Saudi Arabia, international media reports that the other likely contender is Australia, which jointly hosted this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with New Zealand.

Saudi Arabia Football Federation president, Yasser Al Misehal is quoted by The Guardian of the UK as saying this is “the time is right” for Saudi Arabia to host the FIFA World Cup.

“Our bid is driven by a love for the game and a desire to see it grow in every corner of the world,” he said. “The Kingdom’s transformation journey is the driving force behind our bid.”

Saudi Arabia has drawn criticism from the international community for its human rights record and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. In recent years it has spent billions on sport in what critics have labelled “sportswashing”.

The country will host the 2027 men’s Asian Cup and has announced its intention to host the 2026 women’s Asian Cup, for which it will face opposition from Australia. Saudi Arabia women’s national team entered the world rankings this year.

The Asian Football Confederation president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa – who is also the FIFA Council’s senior vice-president is quoted as saying he was “delighted” the Saudi Arabia’s decision to bid.

“The entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative, and we are committed to working closely with the global football family to ensure its success,” he is quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, a report by The Guardian of the UK quotes Football Australia chief executive, James Johnson, as saying they are “exploring the possibility” of the  2034 bid.

In August, Johnson told Guardian Australia that discussions had started about an Australian 2034 bid, saying: “What’s important is that the conversations need to begin now, and the agenda needs to begin being shaped because when we do bid for the next Men’s World Cup, we need to be ready.”

After the October 31 deadline for associations to confirm interest in bidding, bids must be submitted by July 2024, before a decision is made by FIFA late next year.

The first three matches of the FIFA World Cup Morocco-Spain-Portugal 2030, will be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the 100-year anniversary of the tournament — which means the World Cup will be held in six different countries across three continents.

FIFA said in a statement having taken into account the historical context of the first-ever FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Council unanimously agreed to host a unique centenary celebration ceremony in the country’s capital, Montevideo”.

The decision is meant to pay homage to the inaugural World Cup, hosted and won by the South American nation of Uruguay in 1930 and according to international media, the decision may be viewed as excessively complex as it will involve large amounts of travel between different continents and time zones.

“The centennial World Cup could not be far from South America, where everything began,” Alejandro Dominguez, president of South American football organisation CONMEBOL, is quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Morocco is the second African country to host a World Cup, following the 2010 edition in South Africa. Argentina hosted the 1978 tournament and Spain the 1982 edition.

Portugal and Paraguay will host World Cup games for the first time like Morocco, but all three have staged continental championships in the past.

The most recent FIFA World Cup was hosted by the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar in 2022, culminating in a spellbinding final between France and Argentina, with Argentina emerging victorious.—Reporting by Fam.mw, Al Jazeera, The Gurdian, Maravi Express