In a week when Saudi Arabia is primed to win its World Cup 2034 bid, the Dutch Football Association has made its position clear. Contrary to the previous rumblings around the Middle Eastern kingdom’s disregard for human rights, the KNVB have found no issue with playing in any tournament, should they qualify.
“We are a football association and, if we qualify, we will basically play football anywhere in the world”, the KNVB communicated via official channels. “With the exception of countries where the Dutch government prohibits this. For example, there is a war or countries where UEFA and/or FIFA indicate that playing is not allowed. In this respect, we are no different from other Dutch companies and organisations that are active in Saudi.”
Commenting directly on the topic of human rights, the association continued:
“The KNVB is aware of its social position, platform and responsibility and deals with it responsibly. The KNVB follows the guidelines of the Dutch government regarding “international corporate social responsibility” and maintains a permanent dialogue with the government.”
In comparison to the stance of Norway, the comments from the Netherlands’ footballing governing body arrive as relatively neutral and non-plussed. Earlier this week, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) criticised the bidding process for both the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups, claiming they are “flawed and inconsistent with the principles of FIFA’s own reforms.”
In a formal letter to FIFA, the NFF demanded “greater transparency, fairness, and stricter adherence to FIFA’s 2016 reforms” which relate to “good governance and transparent World Cup allocations”.
At today’s digital congress, Norway will be among FIFA’s 211 member nations to assemble and they are expected to make their opinions formally known. Via the Athletic, NFF President Lise Klaveness’ statement on Tuesday reflected: “Tomorrow’s vote is not about who gets the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, that has already been decided.”
“The congress is primarily about providing feedback on FIFA’s allocation process. The board’s assessment is that the process does not align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system. By abstaining from acclamation, we are sending a deliberate signal that we cannot support FIFA’s approach.”
In an evaluation report released last month, FIFA judged Saudi Arabia’s bid to have a “medium” human rights risk assessment while concluding that the 2034 World Cup would have “good potential” to be a “catalyst” for reform. In contrast, Amnesty International described FIFA’s observations as “an astonishing whitewash” of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
