Amnesty International has said that staging the 2030 men’s World Cup in Saudi Arabia would be “virtually impossible” if FIFA correctly applies its human rights criteria to any bid the Gulf nation makes.

The Middle Eastern country, widely criticised for its human rights record, is reportedly interested in hosting the centenary finals alongside Egypt and Greece. There are reports that consideration is being given to a bid to host the finals, which would be in the winter, like this year’s upcoming tournament in Qatar.

It would be Saudi’s boldest move into the world of sports yet.

This is following the country’s Public Investment Fund buying a controlling stake in Newcastle United last year and the staging of Formula One races and high-profile boxing bouts.

Amnesty insisted that FIFA must rigorously apply human rights criteria when weighing up any possible Saudi Arabia bid.

It said this would avoid the “mistake” made by the FIFA executive committee in 2010 in awarding the 2018 and 2022 finals to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

“After the purchase of Newcastle United, the staging of the Anthony Joshua fights and the hugely controversial LIV golf venture, it feels almost inevitable that Saudi Arabia will also seek to host the 2030 World Cup,” the rights organisation noted in a press release. “This will be as a sort of crowning glory to its sportswashing operations.”

It explained that under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi “sportswashing has gone into overdrive at the very time that human rights have deteriorated alarmingly.”

“If Saudi Arabia becomes an official bidder for the 2030 World Cup, FIFA should avoid the mistakes it made with Qatar and Russia. It should ensure there’s a rigorous assessment of human rights risks in awarding the tournament to Riyadh,” Amnesty stressed.

It added that as “things stand, it’s virtually impossible to see how FIFA can square Saudi Arabia’s appalling human rights with its own principles and responsibilities on human rights.”

Neither FIFA nor Saudi Arabia has made any official comment regarding a bid to date.

Spain and Portugal are interested in hosting the finals in eight years’ time. Also, Uruguay — who hosted the inaugural finals in 1930 — is set to bid alongside Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.

(dpa/NAN)