This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023

Hopes were not high when Malaysia was mentioned last month in a joint Indonesia-Australia led bid to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup. Singapore and Thailand were also discussed as possible junior partners. But when first Indonesia, and then Australia, pulled out to leave Saudi Arabia as the sole bidder, it was seen as bowing to the inevitable. Still, it was hard not to sense a rare chance had been wasted by Southeast Asia.

The next time this region gets a shot at playing host will be in the 2040s, a date so distant that many of the participants are still to be born. Yet a bid at this time — it was Asia’s turn on the roster — might have been able to capitalise on any global backlash to the grasping hand of Riyadh.

Simon Chadwick, professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris, noted: “This looks like something of a missed opportunity.” He then added: “It’s clear that a bid of this nature would be hugely compelling.” He also warned that “China and India seem likely to make a move [in the future].”

Still, it came as a surprise that the bid — albeit only at the discussion stage — caved in so dramatically. Time magazine called it “a capitulation” before adding: “Not that world governing body Fifa put up much of a fight.” It concluded that the outcome was “sadly inevitable”.

Once Indonesia had given its blessing to the Saudi bid, it was as good as sealed. Yet a week before, Erick Thorir, president of the Indonesian Football Federation PSSI, declared: “We are quite strong. I think Fifa will see that the Middle East area has been the host with Qatar last year. I am sure they will try other countries.” He added: “When I visited Malaysia and Singapore, both countries expressed interest to join Indonesia and Australia.”

For his part, FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin had played the straightest of bats by saying: “I don’t want to comment as it’s still premature.” Thailand was more enthusiastic with new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declaring: “I will ensure Thailand is ready.”

Nice idea but both Indonesia and Australia have other priorities. The former is shifting its capital to Kalimantan while the latter is preparing to host its third Olympic Games (in Brisbane in 2032). And there was also a sense of futility about challenging the Saudi bid.

As Football Australia CEO James Johnson put it: “We have to be realistic. Saudi is a strong bid, they’ve got a lot of resources. Their government is prioritising investment in football and that’s difficult to compete with.”

“‘A lot” is putting it mildly.

Almost US$1 billion has been spent on buying players for the Saudi Pro League and that’s just the tip of the sporting iceberg. More than US$1 trillion has been lavished upon sports from boxing,motor racing and golf to wrestling and chess. Nothing is off the table as evidenced by a US$500 billion mountain resort being built for the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

These are mind-boggling sums with which no other country can compete and all part of Vision 2030, a policy devised to transform the kingdom before the oil runs out. It goes way beyond mere sportswashing. According to Chadwick, “Saudi Arabia is strategically trying to position itself as an Afro-Eurasian hub — the centre of a new world order.”

It originally targeted the World Cup in 2030 as a fitting emblem. But it was Europe’s turn to host and even in these times of multi-nation bids and flexible borders, a plan to share with Greece and Egypt was not deemed European enough. So Saudi stepped aside and has been rewarded by having the 2024 event to itself with Fifa laying it on a plate.

The world governing body imposed unrealistic deadlines for alternative bids and changed the rules. A bidding host was required to have seven stadia with at least a 40,000 capacity. Saudi Arabia has just four and fans of Saudi-owned Newcastle United began to wonder if their 53,000-seat St James’ Park might be included.

But Fifa simply changed the requirement to four. Then it gave rival bidders just 25 days to make their offer, when the complicated business of getting approvals up to government level — which can take months if not years — would be virtually impossible.

And this was after it had already stretched European boundaries for the 2030 tournament. Not since the colonisers of the 16th century had Spain and Portugal been able to “claim” chunks of South America and Morocco as part of their territory. The African nation was trying — for the sixth time — to host independently but compromised to join the Iberian pair. But then this trio suddenly found it had to share with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The South Americans had bid to host the entire show, too, citing the centenary of the first World Cup as justification for taking Europe’s turn. A compromise was eventually reached but it’s one that is more far-flung and environmentally damaging than the one Saudi had proposed.

Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be the principal hosts with one game played in each of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. That’s almost half as many hosts as participants (13) in the inaugural event in 1930.

Onto the smouldering debate about sustainability, barrels of aviation fuel will be poured when six of the 48 teams make a return trip of around 20,000km to play one game. In 1930, most teams travelled (to host nation Uruguay) by boat. You don’t need to be a member of Extinction Rebellion to realise that Fifa’s “commitment to protecting our climate” is beyond parody.

One of the green bonuses of Qatar was the compactness of the event, the longest journey to a stadium being just 45 minutes by road. Cities such as London, Istanbul and Buenos Aires are close to having the capacity to stage the event themselves, yet 2030 will follow the vapour trails of 2026 which will criss-cross North America. The joke is that the extra oil revenue will help Saudi Arabia pay for their tournament.

The upshot of all this haggling was that the 2030 and 2034 World Cup destinations were effectively done and dusted in October. The last time Fifa foisted a double header upon the football world was at the voting fiasco that took the 2018 edition to Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the 2022 version to Qatar.

Half the 22-man executive committee were accused of corruption — some are still in jail — and Fifa’s reputation reached an all-time low. So, one might ask: What happened to the vote this time? There wasn’t any. This is Gianni Infantino’s Fifa, not Sepp Blatter’s, and instead of brown envelopes under hotel doors, juicy junkets and fancy watches, the new Fifa modus operandi is about quid pro quos and cross-continental compromises.

Another reason for the acceptance of Saudi in 2034 so soon after Qatar 2022 is the sense that a deal had already been done. If Saudi is merely trying to change its image and culture, Fifa is lending a helping hand. “All the pieces fell into place” — is how one insider described the shenanigans that preceded it.

One might say that football, faced with the inevitability of the Saudi financial onslaught, has decided to lie back and enjoy it.

Bob Holmes is a long-time sportswriter specialising in football

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