FYI Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 On 10/5/2023 at 12:29 PM, stryker said: If China throws their hat in the Saudis are done, and I could see President Xi making the announcement about a Chinese bid personally and right before the deadline. So much for that theory. Unless of course he still plans to make an announcement overnight in China by midnight in Switzerland. On 10/11/2023 at 10:32 PM, Sir Rols said: I still can't shake the notion that it's futile, but this is the only way we might, just might, be able to block the Saudis Indonesia in discussion with Australia, Malaysia and Singapore for 2034 FIFA World Cup On 10/12/2023 at 1:44 AM, Australian Kiwi said: Agree - our four nations could do it superbly. So much for that too, after Indonesia switched their allegiance to the Saudi's in the end anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 FIFA once again demonstrates that they are incapable of learning and growing as an organization. Sad! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 "According to The Times, Saudi Arabian leaders are convinced of the country's ability to host the 2034 World Cup in the summer, despite the high heat, by holding matches in specific, high altitude venues." umm good f*cking luck with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 4 hours ago, FYI said: So much for that theory. Unless of course he still plans to make an announcement overnight in China by midnight in Switzerland. China were never in the race - they’re just Stryker’s deus ex machine for any bid race. 4 hours ago, FYI said: So much for that too, after Indonesia switched their allegiance to the Saudi's in the end anyway. Even before then it was the longest of long shots. Anyway, this is surely much needed cheer for Saudi’s brethren sitting in Gaza refugee camps right now (or is that too darkly cynical at this time?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman530 Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 I am not the least bit surprised, but profoundly disappointed. Guess UAE and Oman got it after them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/nancy-armour/2023/10/31/fifa-2034-mens-world-cup-saudi-billions/71398316007/ "Who cares about human rights, the oppression of the LGBTQ community, the complete disregard for women or the upending of soccer’s traditional calendar? If MBS is willing to shower FIFA with billions, and spend just as much on the tournament, Infantino and FIFA will gladly turn a blind eye to his sports washing." "Better yet, they’ll happily help MBS and Saudi Arabia do it." "FIFA has never much cared about doing the right thing and, under Infantino, they’ve abandoned all pretense about it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 5 minutes ago, Bear said: "FIFA has never much cared about doing the right thing and, under Infantino, they’ve abandoned all pretense about it." Totally! I can’t believe it, but Infantino’s managed to make me miss the days of mere run of the mill petty scale corruption under Blatter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 Infantino is way way more dangerous than Blatter. Both corrupt maybe, this is FIFA, but Blatter was a bit too bumbling to be truly dangerous. I'm also not sure he truly wanted Qatar if it was just up to him. Infantino adds being wholly owned by Saudi, being fairly young so he'll be around for decades, and most importantly he's clever. Just look at the stitch up he's just pulled off. It's like when everyone was talking about Ron DeSantis being Trump with a brain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted November 1, 2023 Report Share Posted November 1, 2023 5 minutes ago, yoshi said: Infantino is way way more dangerous than Blatter. Both corrupt maybe, this is FIFA, but Blatter was a bit too bumbling to be truly dangerous. I'm also not sure he truly wanted Qatar if it was just up to him. Infantino adds being wholly owned by Saudi, being fairly young so he'll be around for decades, and most importantly he's clever. Just look at the stitch up he's just pulled off. It's like when everyone was talking about Ron DeSantis being Trump with a brain I think Blatter knew Qatar was a step too far and tried to distance himself and wash his hands of it, and his fears were borne out when it proved the catalyst for the Swiss authorities to finally swoop in and put he, Platini and co into handcuffs. The scary thing with Infantino now is everybody’s so numbed to accept FIFA corruption, nobody’s blinking an eyelid or surprised any more that they can so blatantly pull off a swindle like Saudi ‘34. It’s just weary acceptance that Infantino’s the honorary FIFA member for the House of Saud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryker Posted November 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2023 10 hours ago, yoshi said: Infantino is way way more dangerous than Blatter. Both corrupt maybe, this is FIFA, but Blatter was a bit too bumbling to be truly dangerous. I'm also not sure he truly wanted Qatar if it was just up to him. Infantino adds being wholly owned by Saudi, being fairly young so he'll be around for decades, and most importantly he's clever. Just look at the stitch up he's just pulled off. It's like when everyone was talking about Ron DeSantis being Trump with a brain I think Infantino as well is willing to accept the fact that the Saudis will be in charge here. I've seen a few comments around the web that a FIFA WC will finally get the Kingdom to come out of the dark ages on things like gender segregation, alcohol, and women's dress arguing there's no way the Saudis can host an event of this magnitude without bending the rules on some of their medieval cultural norms. Yes they can. And they will do what they want. That means no booze and likely no fan zones. There will be gender segregation in the stadiums. Hotels in Saudi Arabia require proof of marriage for couples to share a room. Also, women are likely going to be required to wear Abayas. Men are also not permitted to wear shorts in public. Oh MBS might make promises of change on these issues but he will quickly backtrack in the face of the Wahabbist clerics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted November 1, 2023 Report Share Posted November 1, 2023 Infantino confirms that the 2034 World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia (insidethegames.biz) literally nauseating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwebb Posted November 11, 2023 Report Share Posted November 11, 2023 On 11/1/2023 at 12:08 AM, Sir Rols said: I think Blatter knew Qatar was a step too far and tried to distance himself and wash his hands of it, and his fears were borne out when it proved the catalyst for the Swiss authorities to finally swoop in and put he, Platini and co into handcuffs. The scary thing with Infantino now is everybody’s so numbed to accept FIFA corruption, nobody’s blinking an eyelid or surprised any more that they can so blatantly pull off a swindle like Saudi ‘34. It’s just weary acceptance that Infantino’s the honorary FIFA member for the House of Saud. Whether Blatter knew it at the time, or only recognised it once he met his own fate, I think he, and we, have to recognise that a World Cup in Saudi Arabia was inevitable one day from the moment Qatar was awarded 2022. We may still have ended up here without that decision being taken but there is no doubt in my mind that the path to this point began on his watch. What is so galling about this decision is how utterly blatant the whole set-up process, particularly the ridiculously convoluted 2030 hosting arrangements and the undue haste for bids to be submitted, appears to have been. Yet for all that one could say about how FIFA seems to be, if anything, worse under Infantino than it ever was under Blatter, the awarding of 2034 to Saudi Arabia just doesn't have the same shock quality to me that the awarding of 2022 to Qatar did. We just don't know what the consequences of this decision will be yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 We know they don’t do restrained… Saudi Arabia plans for ‘futuristic’ clifftop 2034 World Cup stadium revealed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 1 hour ago, Sir Rols said: We know they don’t do restrained… Saudi Arabia plans for ‘futuristic’ clifftop 2034 World Cup stadium revealed my god that looks so incredibly bad, it looks like a video game that is failing to render properly... im deeply disturbed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustralianFan Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 51 minutes ago, Bear said: my god that looks so incredibly bad, it looks like a video game that is failing to render properly... im deeply disturbed It certainly would be a spectacular setting on a clifftop and make great great tourist magnet television images. This AP News.com report also says: The stadium is a centerpiece of the Qiddiya City project that aims to create an entertainment, gaming and sports hub 45 kilometers (30 miles) from downtown Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The LED wall is designed to open out on to views of the city below, The QIC said the new stadium is intended to become the home venue of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, the Riyadh clubs who last year signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, respectively. Qiddiya stadium is planned to have a lake built beneath it (!) “The lake will use rainwater capture from the stadium and the surrounding area to precool the air conditioning system,” the QIC said. The architect attached to the new Saudi stadium project is Populous - a global firm with main offices in Kansas City and London. It has worked on Olympic stadiums in Australia and Russia and designed the acclaimed home of Premier League club Tottenham that was also purpose-built for NFL games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Australian Kiwi Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 On 1/16/2024 at 2:14 PM, Sir Rols said: We know they don’t do restrained… Saudi Arabia plans for ‘futuristic’ clifftop 2034 World Cup stadium revealed God, they're so tacky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportLightning Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 A lot of screens for that stadium, which is a crazy design Populous designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 At least even Qatar managed to make their stadiums look good in general... this is gonna make Vegas look restrained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 It’s really looking like this is going to be an obscenely gaudy and expensive cup. They don’t doo restraint (and got the sign-off from FIFA to build more greenfield stadiums than they’d allow anyone else to do). Besides this monstrosity, they’re also planning something up at Neom, that huge glass line city they’re building up north, which they’re also planning the host their winter games at. It’s gonna make Qatar look cheap. Probably try to out-do them in migrant deaths too. I guess they won’t have Hadid to design a giant vagina for hem though. Whatever happened to Qatar’s “portable” stadiums? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted February 1 Report Share Posted February 1 Will the Closing Ceremony - Handover moment of WC 2030 at Bernabeu be "Ferdinand, Isabella and El Cid" driving out the Moors from Spain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportLightning Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 22 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said: Will the Closing Ceremony - Handover moment of WC 2030 at Bernabeu be "Ferdinand, Isabella and El Cid" driving out the Moors from Spain? No, i think the King Fahd International Stadium in RIyadh is most likely especially the final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 30 minutes ago, SportLightning said: No, i think the King Fahd International Stadium in RIyadh is most likely especially the final. What are you talking about? I am TALKING ABOUT CLOSING of 2030 -- NOT 2034! Will you please wake up?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportLightning Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 Saudi Arabia launched their bid (although will host it), https://saudi2034bid.com/ Here's is the bid logo. They also unveiled the slogan of the bid: "Growing Together". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 launching a bid for an event they already won by default... i suppose they have the ability to just be throwing money wherever they want... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FYI Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 Guess they still have to make it look as "official" as possible. Much like when you know someone has been hand-picked for a job opening, but they still have to fill out the job application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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