Saudi Arabia World Cup 2034: FA president Debbie Hewitt says it was “not a difficult decision” to back the bid

The Football Association’s decision to back Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup was “not difficult”, says president Debbie Hewitt.

Saudi Arabia was confirmed on Wednesday as the host of the men’s tournament by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body.

Organizers have insisted that all will be welcome, but the country has been criticized for its human rights violations, abuses of women’s rights and the criminalization of homosexuality.

However, Hewitt told BBC Radio 5 Live that the FA asked “a lot of questions” before backing the bid.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision; I think it was a very thorough process,” Hewitt added.

“We spent a lot of time with the Saudis, understanding their approach to the tournament.

“We asked a lot of questions, they gave us a lot of time and they gave us a lot of commitments and I think the important thing is that we will now work with them for the next 10 years leading up to the tournament to make sure that those commitments are met, on both sides.”

The FA met with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) last month to discuss the bid in more detail. He said he was confident that the SAFF was committed to providing a safe environment for all fans, including LGBTQ+ supporters.

“We were reassured by the responses we got and thought this is a partnership,” Hewitt said, adding that the FA would give organizers “the right groups to consult with.”

“A tournament is not just about the host. A tournament is about those who participate and play their part in it and that’s what we want to do.”

The 2034 World Cup will be the second to be held in the Middle East: in 2022 it will be held in Qatar.

Saudi Arabia’s international standing was severely damaged by the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based Saudi journalist who was a prominent critic of the government.

In a statement, Rodney Dixon KC, who previously represented Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s widow, said it was disappointing that the FA, along with the Scottish and Welsh FAs, who also backed Saudi Arabia’s bid, had “simply followed the crowd,” rather than taking a stand against the oil-producing kingdom’s violations.

“They should reflect on their position and use the time before the 2034 World Cup to push for necessary reforms in the country, otherwise they should act together with all states that defend universal human rights to withdraw the tournament from Saudi Saudi,” Dixon added.