Storm erupts as explosive details show Australia was given World Cup warning

Explosive details have been exposed surrounding Australia’s decision to pull out of the race to host the 2034 World Cup.

The Aussie team. Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Instagram on Wednesday morning.

The decision has triggered outrage across the world with extraordinary details emerging about Australia’s decision to step down.

Football Australia on Tuesday evening issued a statement to announce it had ruled out making an official bid.

The Aussie organisation pulled the plug on FIFA’s October 31 deadline day — having been given less than a month’s notice to pull a bid proposal together. FIFA had only announced its decision to throw the 2034 bid concurrently with the battle for hosting rights of the 2030 tournament on October 4.

Australia never had a chance, according to football commentators.

Saudi Arabia was awarded the hosting rights unopposed as a result of Australia’s withdrawal, prompting speculation and outcry at how the tournament has fallen in the Arab nation’s lap.

The decision will be ratified officially after two separate FIFA congress meetings at the end of next year.

But the absence of any competition leaves little room for suspense.

The bid comes one year after neighbouring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.

It is the timeline of the bidding process for the 2034 tournament that has attracted just as much outrage as the anger from human rights campaigners.

Human Rights Watch responded to FIFA’s decision by stating the governing body is a “sham” and had violated its own policy surrounding human rights and inclusion.

Australian players huddle prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match against France. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.

From an Australian point of view, the October 31 deadline is understandably raising eyebrows.

With the 2030 tournament being played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three opening games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, FIFA had declared the 2034 tournament would be staged in Asia.

When FIFA announced on October 4 the bidding process was beginning three years earlier than previously planned — Saudi Arabia submitted its “comprehensive plan” just 65 minutes after the announcement was made, according to Yahoo’s senior soccer reporter Henry Bushell.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) promptly endorsed the Saudi bid, while Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore were still trying to recover from the shock of the sudden October 31 deadline.

Indonesia threw in the towel on October 19 and Australia was the last one to fall.

The Guardian’s Jack Snape reported “Australia had been issued indirect warnings by some of football’s most powerful administrators not to bid”.

According to Yahoo, it was Infantino himself who attempted to “dissuade” Australia and Indonesia. The report claims Infantino told the presidents of all AFC nations, including Australia, they should unite behind one bid.

That was followed by a message from AFC president Sheikh Salman that “explicitly” called for unanimous support for Saudi Arabia.

Everyone fell into line.

Chief football writer for The Times Martyn Ziegler wrote FIFA “stacked the deck to favour Saudi Arabia”.

Lionel Messi of Argentina broke our hearts. Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images.

Football Australia chief executive James Johnson has spoken about the bidding deadline shift with The Times.

“It was a little bit of a surprise that it was going to be an earlier process,” he said.

“But we’re adults and we just try to roll with it and deal with the cards that we have been given and try to find the best solution that is in Australia’s interests.”

He went on to say: “We went into the process in 2010 and got one vote. We don’t want to end up in a situation like that again. We have to be realistic: Saudi is a strong bid. They have a lot of resources, and not just the 2034 World Cup.

“They are disrupting European football, paying higher dollars — or pounds in your case. This is a disruption in the market and that is what positions Saudi in a strong way. From the government, top down, they are prioritising investment in football. That is difficult to compete with.”

Leading football journalist Philippe Auclair told The Hard Shoulder podcast it was obvious from the start FIFA wanted to give the tournament to Saudi Arabia and said there was “a lot of pressure put on possible, potential rival bids” like Indonesia and Australia.

BBC sports editor Dan Roan wrote in a column: “The fact that Australia has now decided not to bid will also raise concerns that they knew taking on the Saudis would have been futile”.

He wrote: “Whatever the true motive of Saudi Arabia’s rulers, its emergence as the one bidder for 2034 will intensify scrutiny on Fifa’s processes and judgement, with some observers voicing concerns that this outcome had almost been engineered as an effective fait accompli in a deal lacking transparency and accountability.

There’s always 2038. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images.

“The way that this process has seemed to pave the way for the Saudis will leave many uneasy.”

Saudi Arabia will be the first single host of a 48-team World Cup.

Infantino ignored the outrage when he proudly confirmed Saudi Arabia has been locked in.

“Three editions, five continents and ten countries involved in staging matches in the tournament - that’s making football truly global,” he posted on Instagram.

“The bidding processes were approved by consensus via the FIFA Council — where all six confederations are represented — after constructive dialogue and extensive consultation. Thank you to everyone who has participated in this positive exchange.

“Football unites the world like no other sport, and the FIFA World Cup is the perfect showcase for a message of unity and inclusion, as well as providing an important illustration of how different cultures can be together and can learn and better understand one another.”

By securing the world’s most popular tournament, the kingdom faces an even bigger job than its neighbour and sometime rival Qatar.

According to FIFA, the 48-team tournament expansion means 104 matches which require “a minimum of 14 stadiums” with between 40,000 and 80,000 seats and at least “72 base camps”.

Australia, meanwhile, will instead throw its hat in the running to stage a major international club tournament five years earlier.

FA has instead stated its intention to bid for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, as well as the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.