KSA Hails Qatar’s FIFA World Cup Preparations, Mum on Alcohol Access

The story of the FIFA World Cup that was held in Qatar in 2022 is not a very old one, we can’t help but be excited. This historical event has recently become the center of attention of a country following the comments of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The vice-minister of sports for Saudi Arabia commended Qatar for hosting the World Cup the previous year and stated that his nation wished to host the competition in 2034.

With a deadline of October 31, the international football organization FIFA called for bids earlier this month from Asia and Oceania, and Saudi Arabia is vying to host the grand finale. Despite tense diplomatic ties between the two countries in recent years, Saudi vice-minister of sports Bader Alkadi praised Qatar for being the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup in November and December of last year.

“We are proud that we defeated Argentina in the World Cup, just as you were in the UK when you hosted the Olympics. And Qatar… we’re proud of what other nations have done to provide a fantastic World Cup,” Alkadi stated during the London Leaders Sports Conference.

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“We want this at home, without a doubt. And we want to make sure that our nation is developed to host these kinds of events at a high caliber,” he stated.

Speaking about the fan experience in Qatar, wherein stadiums were cleared of alcohol one week before the tournament’s start, Alkadi said that attendees had had a memorable time. “And that’s something honestly we applaud our colleagues and Qatar for, for going through and proving that it is a possibility (and it) is something that we would want to repeat,” he said.

He did not say whether or not that meant that, as in Qatar, alcohol would be served in hotel rooms and fan areas. In Saudi Arabia, alcohol is prohibited. The nation is under fire for allegedly “sportswashing” its sovereign wealth fund in response to harsh criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. Saudi Arabia disputes claims of violating human rights and asserts that its legal system safeguards its security as a nation.

Last month, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that he would not give a damn about accusations of “sportswashing” and that he would keep supporting sports as long as they increase the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Alkadi repeated the crown prince’s remarks, claiming that the significant expenditure on sports was meant to enhance Saudi citizens’ quality of life. It would have been a challenging question (sportswashing) to answer before the crown prince did. It’s no longer challenging. Thus, whatever we accomplish in sports, we undoubtedly do it for our people, Alkadi continued.”And the numbers speak for themselves in terms of the growth in mass participation in terms of the focus on elite athletes.”