FIFA has finally admitted defeat over its mooted Visit Saudi sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year.
The proposed deal has been rocked with consternation for several months with players and football officials alike speaking out about it.
However, when FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed that the deal was off the cards at a FIFA congress in Kigali, Rwanda, he did not fall on his sword and went on the attack.
“I can clarify that there were discussions with Visit Saudi. At the end this discussion didn’t lead into a contract. How do you say it? It was a storm in a water glass. A storm in a teacup,” he told press and delegates.
He also said that he did not see anything wrong with the sponsorship in principle.
“Fifa is an organisation of 211 countries,” he said. “For us they are all the same. There wouldn’t be anything bad in making sponsorships from Saudi Arabia, China, United States of America, Brazil or India as far as we are concerned.”
The long-time Swiss FIFA official also pointed out that little had been said of the $1.5 billion worth of trade between Australia and Saudi Arabia.
“This doesn’t seem to be a problem,” he said. “But between a global organisation like Fifa and Visit Saudi this would have been an issue. There is a double standard here, which I really don’t understand.
“There is no issue and no contract. There are discussions and, of course, we want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors in women’s football generally, how we can involve Saudi sponsors in men football, or we can involve Qatari sponsors in women’s football and men’s football, and all other sponsors from all over the world.”
Matildas players had stayed silent on the proposed deal but USA stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe had previously said the proposed deal was “bizarre,” “totally inappropriate,” and “outrageous.” Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema said FIFA should be “deeply ashamed.”
The news of the cancelled deal has been received well. Football Australia’s chief executive, James Johnson, who said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion are really deep commitments for Football Australia and we’ll continue to work hard with Fifa to ensure the Women’s World Cup is shaped in this light.”
For what it’s worth, Infantino also announced a US$150m (AU$225 million) prize fund for this year’s Women’s World Cup — up 300 per cent from 2019. He was also re-elected for a second term as FIFA president at the congress in Rwanda.
