FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s government tourism agency will not now be a Women’s World Cup sponsor.
Mr Infantino said after the FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda: “Of course there were discussions with Visit Saudi and so on. At the end, these discussions didn’t lead to a contract.”
It was FIFA’s first public comment more than six weeks after Australia and New Zealand wrote to the governing body protesting against reports of a sponsorship deal.
Mr Infantino questioned why Australia’s government and businesses have trade deals with Saudi Arabia but the Women’s World Cup cannot be sponsored by the kingdom. He said: “There is a double standard here which I don’t really understand.”
Australia’s football federation is separate from the government and FIFA statutes prohibit government interference in football matters. Football Federation Australia CEO James Johnson said he welcomed FIFA’s “clarification”.
A statement said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion are really deep commitments for Football Australia and we’ll continue to work hard with FIFA to ensure the Women’s World Cup is shaped in this light and it is a historic event for our nation, showcasing the world’s greatest female players and advancing the game globally.”
Players had also urged FIFA to not allow their tournament to have sponsorship from a country which criminalises same-sex relations and where women are yet to gain full equal rights.
But Mr Infantino insisted “there wouldn’t be anything bad in having sponsorships from Saudi Arabia”. He added: “We want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors in women’s football generally.”
