England should have won the hosting rights for the soccer World Cup before the next free date in 2038 and before Saudi Arabia which will hold the 2034 edition, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday.

“England has done a great job for the game of football and they should be rewarded,” Blatter told Reuters. “They have tried since 1966 to get the World Cup back and it’s a shame they didn’t get it.

“They should have had it before Saudi Arabia, but it was organised in a very clever way so nobody was in opposition,” he said in an interview.

FIFA awarded the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia in an uncontested process in December , which also saw Spain, Portugal and Morocco chosen as the main hosts for the 2030 tournament combined with one-off matches in South America.

However, the decisions have come under fire, with the 2030 plan criticised by climate activists because of the increased emissions necessitated by the extra travel across three continents.

The 2034 bid by Saudi Arabia has been questioned by some in the game due to its desert climate and also been criticised by activists over the country’s human rights record, much in the same way as the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Saudi Arabia denies suppressing rights.

This left 2038 as the next available date for England to host its second World Cup after winning the tournament at home in 1966.

Blatter said he was concerned about the increased influence of the Middle East on sports like football and Formula 1, with both having been heavily invested in by countries in the region, but said England should still apply to host the World Cup.

“They should wake up and apply again,” the 88-year-old said.

Blatter, who left FIFA in disgrace following a corruption scandal in 2015, was also concerned about the expanding size of the World Cup, which he said was diluting the quality of the tournament.

Next year’s event in the United States, Mexico and Canada has been expanded to 48 teams, up from 32 at the 2022 edition.

“It’s become too big,” he said. “Will it become like in grand slam tennis where everybody goes to the World Cup? What next – 128 teams?

“I’ve always said there are too many teams and the quality is not the same,” Blatter added. “Who loses out – the spectators.”

He feared constant expansion could eventually damage the sport.

“As long as football has 2 billion followers, then FIFA thinks they are happy,” the Swiss said. “But one day there will be a stop – you cannot go and develop more football, and more players and have more money and more spectators and more stadiums.”

-Reuters

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Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles debut appears beset as one of the team’s reliable defenders, Semi Ajay at the weekend got injured and may be ruled out from the destiny-shaping World Cup qualifying matches with Rwanda and Zimbabwe next month.

Nigeria cannot afford to drop any of the obtainable six points in the duels with Rwanda and Zimbabwe as the team set to rebuild after a bad head start in the qualifying series.

Sports Village Square recalls that Ajayi scored Nigeria’s first goal in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series.

But the lanky defender has sustained an injury in West Brom’s 2-0 win over Oxford United.

The AFCON 2023 silver medal winner with Nigeria last year has been off the ball during the previous five months due to injury and just coming back to full action.

Last October, he suffered a hamstring injury, which kept him out of action until February.

The Super Eagles star returned to action, but coach Tony Mowbray was careful about his situation, reducing his minutes drastically.

However, Ajayi started the last two games for West Brom. Unfortunately, he got injured in their last game against Oxford United on Saturday.

The Super Eagles defender was wheeled off in the 41st minute and was replaced by former Everton man Mason Holgate.

It is believed that Ajayi suffered a relapse. However, he would have to undergo tests to ascertain the extent of the injury and how long he would spend on the treatment table.

As it is, Ajayi is a big doubt for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers next month. But if it is not a serious issue, he would still have to be sidelined for two weeks at least.

The Super Eagles star has four weeks to return in time for the game. Even if the 31-year-old defender returns to action soon, West Brom will be cautious about Ajayi’s injury problems.

If Semi Ajayi does not make it back in time, it will be a big blow for him, as he is an integral member of the backline. Nonetheless, coach Eric Chelle will have to make do with the other players like Olisa Ndah, Benjamin Tanimu, and Gabriel Osho.

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Saudi Arabia will uphold its current ban on alcohol during the 2034 World Cup, said Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, the host country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Global soccer governing body FIFA officially announced Saudi hosts of the 2034 World Cup in December.

The kingdom banned alcohol, which is prohibited for observant Muslims, in 1952.

Beer was not sold at stadiums in neighbouring Qatar, where drinking in public is illegal, during the 2022 tournament, but it was available at designated fan zones and in some hotels.

“Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol – it’s not 100 per cent necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you’re welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol,” Khalid bin Bandar told the British radio station LBC on Wednesday.

“Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country. Everyone has their own culture. We’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture but we don’t want to change our culture for someone else.”

Last year, Saudi announced the opening of an alcohol shop in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh to combat the black market and illegal imports. The store is only for non-Muslim diplomats, who must present diplomatic identification before they buy.

SPORTSWASHING

The kingdom has invested heavily in sport over the last few years through its Public Investment Fund, which has acquired Premier League club Newcastle United and founded the LIV Golf tour, challenging the US-based PGA Tour’s dominance.

Critics, including women’s rights groups and members of the LGBTQ community, allege it is using the PIF to sportswash its human rights record.

Asked if gay soccer fans would be able to safely attend the tournament, the ambassador replied: “We will welcome everyone in Saudi. It is not a Saudi event, it is a world event. And to a large extent, we will welcome everyone who wants to come.”

In September, Hammad Albalawi, the head of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid unit, also assured that LGBTQ fans would be welcome and their privacy respected, pointing to the millions of fans who had travelled to Saudi for sporting events in recent years.

There are no public advocacy groups for LGBTQ people in Saudi and while state law is uncodified, it is understood by Amnesty, opens new tab that people can be sentenced to death if it is proven they engaged in same-sex sexual acts.

MIGRANT WORKERS

Saudi Arabia’s bid book pledged 15 stadiums, new or refurbished, by 2032, which are understood to be completed with the help of migrant labour.

Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) said in November that hosting the tournament in the Gulf country would lead to “severe and widespread” human rights violations.

“Fans will face discrimination… migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die,” Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of labour rights and sport, said.

Saudi Arabia has banned labour unions and enforces the “kafala” system of foreign labourer sponsorship. The country has repeatedly denied accusations of human rights abuses and said it protects its national security through its laws.

-Reuters

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