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Happy November! I’m Pardeep Cattry, and here’s a quick midweek check-in on some of the soccer world’s biggest stories.
Contents
Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern
Wednesday, Nov. 1
EFL Cup: Manchester United vs. Newcastle, 4:15 p.m. ESPN+
MLS: Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m. Fox Sports 1
Thursday, Nov. 2
Eredivisie: Ajax vs. Volendam, 3 p.m. ESPN+
The Forward Line
The World Cup heads to Saudi Arabia
Getty Images
It’s not necessarily official yet, but it might as well be — Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup. The all-but-certain decision came yesterday after Australia, the only other country to tease a desire to host the event, decided not to submit a declaration of interest on the deadline. FIFA says it will still go through all the formalities before locking in a host, but president Gianni Infantino basically confirmed the news in an Instagram post.
The writing was on the wall for the last several weeks. FIFA’s decision to host the 2030 World Cup in three continents essentially cleared the way for Saudi Arabia to win rights to the 2034 edition, and swift condemnation has followed from human rights groups and others. Fresh off a controversial World Cup in Qatar, FIFA will once again host its biggest event in a country with a reputation for human rights violations that includes poor labor conditions, restricted freedoms for women and the LGBTQ+ community, and the execution of dissidents.
Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn advocated for the halting of the bidding process until FIFA ensures human rights are protected in Saudi Arabia.
- Cockburn: “FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies. It…
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