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90 Countries Back Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
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90 Countries Back Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Bid

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4
Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4

About 90 countries have so far backed Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the 2034 World Cup.

The last twelve unions that announced their support are the football federations of Tanzania, The Bahamas, Montserrat, US Virgin Islands, Haiti, Guyana, Suriname, Zambia, Gabon, Eritrea, Cambodia, and Greece. Greece is the 4th European country to support the Saudi bid.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) already submitted a letter of intent (LOI) and signed a declaration to FIFA to bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup™️.

Saudi Arabia first announced its intention to bid for the 2034 edition of the iconic tournament on October 4, and the letter of intent – signed by SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal – officially confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to embark on the bid process set out by FIFA.

Less than a week after SAFF declared its intention to bid for the FIFA World Cup™️, over 90 FIFA Member Associations from across different continents have publicly pledged their support for the Kingdom.

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EU Top Court: Some FIFA Rules on Int’l Transfers Are Contrary to Bloc's Law

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
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EU Top Court: Some FIFA Rules on Int’l Transfers Are Contrary to Bloc's Law

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, Paris-Saint-Germain player Lassana Diarra during a French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

The European Union's top court said Friday that some FIFA rules on player transfers can conflict with European Union legislation relating to competition and freedom of movement.
The court's ruling came after former France international Lassana Diarra legally challenged FIFA rules following a dispute with a club dating back to a decade ago, The Associated Press reported.
Diarra had signed a four-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2013. The deal was terminated a year later after Diarra was unhappy with alleged pay cuts.
Lokomotiv Moscow applied to the FIFA dispute resolution chamber for compensation and the player submitted a counterclaim seeking compensation for unpaid wages. The Court of Arbitration for Sport found the Russian club terminated the contract with Diarra “with just cause” and the player was ordered to pay 10.5 million euros ($11.2 million).
Diarra claimed his search for a new club was hampered by FIFA rules stipulating that any new side would be jointly responsible with him for paying compensation to Lokomotiv.
“The rules in question are such as to impede the free movement of professional footballers wishing to develop their activity by going to work for a new club,” the court said in a statement.
The former Real Madrid player also argued that a potential deal with Belgian club Charleroi fell through because of the FIFA rules, and sued FIFA and the Belgian federation at a Belgian court for damages and loss of earnings of six million euros ($7 million). With the lawsuit still going through Belgian courts, the case was referred to the European Court of Justice for a ruling.
The Diarra case, which is supported by the global players’ union FIFPro, went through FIFA judicial bodies before the 2016 election of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has made it a priority to modernize transfer market rules.