Norway will abstain from the vote by acclamation for the attribution of the 2030 and 2034 world championships

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) said on Tuesday (December 10) that it would vote against FIFA’s awarding of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups by acclamation, adding that it had formally criticized the process in a letter to the governing body of world football. Fifa’s virtual Extraordinary Congress is due to vote on Wednesday December 11 to approve the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. The joint candidacy of Morocco, Spain and Portugal is the only one for 2030, while Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for 2034. Fifa announced the two candidacies in October 2023.

“A flawed process”

“Before the Congress, the Norwegian Football Association repeatedly expressed its concerns about the process of awarding the 2030 and 2034 World Cups by Fifa”said the NFF in a press release. “The NFF will formally criticize the tender procedure in a letter to FIFA and request that this be recorded in the Congress minutes. »

“If a vote by acclamation is held, the NFF will vote against it. The NFF cannot endorse a process which it considers to be flawed and incompatible with the principles of Fifa’s own reforms. » The NFF also requested that its criticisms be officially recorded by Fifa. “Tomorrow’s vote does not concern the attribution of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, which has already been decided”said NFF President Lise Klaveness. “By abstaining from voting by acclamation, we are sending a deliberate signal that we cannot support Fifa’s approach. »

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Saudi Arabia, the only candidate for 2034

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay presented a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup in 2022. However, Fifa announced in 2023 that Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay would each host a 2030 World Cup match to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup, before the rest of the tournament moves to Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Australia and Indonesia were in talks for a joint bid to host the 2034 World Cup, but dropped out before Saudi Arabia was announced as the sole candidate.

“Fifa’s human rights and due diligence guidelines have also not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations,” added Lise Klaveness.

Last month, Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) called on FIFA to halt Saudi Arabia’s selection process “in the absence of major human rights reforms”. “The risks in Saudi Arabia are so acute that holding the competition there will likely result in serious and widespread rights violations”declared the NGO in a press release.