Visit Saudi Arabia will not sponsor Australian and New Zealand Women’s World Championship later that year, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not rule out future business opportunities for the Gulf nation in women’s football.
The Saudi Arabian Tourism Authority stepped in as a possible sponsor for the expanded 32-team tournament, drawing heavy criticism from various groups, though Infantino said it was all “Storm in a teacup”.
The biggest annoyance came from soccer australiawhich stated that there was “an overwhelming consensus that this partnership is not in line with our collective vision for the tournament and does not meet our expectations”.
Other prominent figures in women’s football also criticized the plan, such as the veteran U.S. forward. Alex Morgan, who argued that it was “morally” meaningless.
Alex Morgan.
At the FIFA Congress, which took place this Thursday in Kigali, said Infantino.
There were negotiations with Visit Saudi, but in the end they did not lead to a contract. So it was a storm in a teacup. But having said that, FIFA is an organization made up of 211 countries. There is nothing wrong with accepting sponsorship from Saudi Arabia, China, USA, Brazil or India.
Finally, the Swiss added that detractors of the possible sponsorship have ignored commercial agreements that already exist between companies from Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Double standards that I really don’t understand. No problem, no contract, but of course we want to see how we can get Saudi sponsors and Qatari sponsors in women’s football in general.
Gianni Infantino.
(According to information from Reuters)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
