Lahm criticizes "questionable procedures" in World Cup awarding process
There is no reasonable doubt that the 2034 FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. World champion Philipp Lahm sharply criticizes FIFA's approach, which creates facts early on in the bidding process.
Former national team captain and current European Championship tournament director Philipp Lahm has expressed his criticism of the early tendency in favor of Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup. The kingdom, which has been criticized for its human rights record, is the only candidate to have submitted a declaration of interest in hosting the World Cup in eleven years' time. The decision will be made at the FIFA Congress at the end of next year and the bid is considered certain.
"The chronology of events in recent weeks shows that a lot of things are currently going in the wrong direction," Lahm told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. "The democratic effect that soccer tournaments can have has fallen out of focus. The decisions and procedures recently were very questionable," added the 40-year-old.
"This is damaging soccer"
At the end of October, FIFA President Gianni Infantino listed Saudi Arabia for 2034 among the hosts for the next three World Cup finals via Instagram. FIFA's rotation principle only provides for hosts from Asia or Oceania for this tournament. Following Australia's withdrawal, there is no longer a competitor.
"Many fans rightly miss the credibility. They get the impression that it's all about the money. That harms soccer, because soccer lives from its original credibility," said Lahm. Anyone who harms institutions such as FIFA, UEFA or the DFB through their decisions or actions is harming soccer and therefore society. Awarding procedures must be transparent, demanded Lahm.
President Bernd Neuendorf had recently announced a position of the German Football Association (DFB) regarding the controversial bid by Saudi Arabia, which, like the previous host Qatar, now hosts numerous major sporting events.
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Source: www.ntv.de
