November 6 – Dutch FA general secretary Gijs de Jong has said the 2030 and 2034 World Cups may be awarded by acclamation.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper the Volkskrant, De Jong said that there won’t be a vote at all for the two World Cups if both bids are approved. Rather, the FIFA Congress will applaud both bids of Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay for 2030 and Saudi Arabia for 2034 and confirm the seven hosts for the two tournaments.
When asked if FIFA will award Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup, De Jong said: “The so-called bid book was submitted in July. Questions and answers will follow. The evaluation committee will make a report. The Saudi Arabian Federation has 150 declarations of support from federations all over the world. On 211 members. The decision will be made on 11 December during the online congress. There will be presentations, with an explanation from the evaluation committee. The FIFA board has already announced that if both bids meet the criteria, they will be embraced jointly by acclamation; 2030 and 2034. Without a vote.”
On December 11, FIFA will decide on the hosting rights at an extraordinary virtual congress, but in a press release on October 3, the world governing body wrote that,“As the foundation for these bidding processes was the unanimous approval by the FIFA Council of a consolidated proposal that covers the 2030 and 2034 editions, the decision on the hosts will also be taken en bloc.”
FIFA has repeatedly failed to clarify the ‘en bloc’ vote, but De Jong’s explanation was backed by the Belgian FA, which confirmed the acclamation procedure.
Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup, a situation that has prompted controversy and serious governance questions of FIFA.
The world federation gave other eligible nations less than a month to throw their hat into the ring. It left Saudi Arabia unchallenged after the 2030 World Cup was steered toward six countries on three continents. FIFA has however maintained that the bidding process for 2034 is in line with processes for previous World Cups.
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