‘I am confident’ – Mehrdad Ghodoussi breaks silence following Newcastle United exit
Former Newcastle United co-owner Mehrdad Ghosoussi has congratulated Saudi Arabia on winning the 2034 World Cup bid.
The Gulf states – whose sovereign wealth fund own an 85 per cent stake in Newcastle United – won the right to host the 25th edition of the competition. Saudi’s bid was supported by the English, Scottish and Welsh FAs.
As expected, the decision – which was passed through with no rival bid – has been met with criticism. Human rights organisation Amnesty International were critical of Newcastle’s takeover and released a statement condemning FIFA.
“FIFA’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” Steve Cockburn, their head of labour rights and sport, said.
“Based on clear evidence to date, FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless. The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”
The Middle Eastern nation plans on hosting during European summertime to avoid clashes with domestic competition. However, the Qatari bid famously claimed the same, only to U-turn in 2015 – eight years before the tournament.
Former Toon co-owner Ghodoussi maintains a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia and congratulated them on their win. He posted on social media: “Huge congratulations to Saudi Arabia.
“I know how important Football and Sport is to the Kingdom and the Saudi people. I am confident they will put everything into delivering one of the best World Cups we’ve ever seen.”
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