The Australian and New Zealand Football Associations announced they are “disappointed and shocked” by reports of Saudi sponsorship of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in a joint statement.
The two countries will host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup from July 20 to August 20 and say they have not been consulted by FIFA on sponsorship.
A deal will be announced with the “Visit to Saudi Arabia”, which has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.
Saudi Arabia is accused of violating human rights.
The Football Association of New Zealand issued a statement saying: “The Football Association of New Zealand has been informed of media reports indicating that Visit Saudi, the official Saudi tourism agency, will be announced as the official sponsor of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, the largest sports event for women.
“If these reports are true, we are shocked and disappointed that the football associations of New Zealand and Australia, hosting the 2023 Women’s World Cup, have not consulted with FIFA at all on this matter,” he added.
The two federations wrote a joint letter to FIFA to “urgently clarify the situation”.
The Australian Federation issued a similar statement yesterday Thursday, but did not directly mention the name of the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority, Visit Saudi.
“The FA is aware that FIFA has secured a sponsorship deal for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand,” Australia said in a statement.
“We are very disappointed that the Australian Football Association was not consulted on this matter before any decision was made. The Australian and New Zealand Football Associations have written to FIFA together for an immediate clarification of the situation.”
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for human rights, women’s rights and the use of the death penalty.
“It would be ironic if the Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority sponsored the world’s largest sporting event for women when a woman in Saudi Arabia cannot get a job without the permission of her guardian,” said Nikita White, an Amnesty International activist in Australia.
Saudi Arabia has invested in sporting events in recent years but has been accused of “sporting whitewashing” its reputation.
Although Saudi Arabia first sent women to the Olympics in 2012, it has taken steps to develop women’s football in recent years, and in 2018 fans were allowed to attend football matches for the first time.
The Saudi Arabian Football Association appointed two women to its board of directors and formed a women’s football team in 2019.
In 2020, the Women’s Football League was launched, and last month, Saudi Arabia hosted a four-team friendly women’s football championship and emerged victorious, aiming to enter the FIFA Women’s Football World Rankings for the first time.
Source: agencies
