‘It will be really good’ – Eddie Howe expects World Cup in Saudi Arabia to be great experience
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has explained that if a World Cup in Saudi Arabia is anything like his side’s trips to the country, then “it will be really good”.
The Magpies have been owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund since late 2021. PIF purchased a majority share in the club – 80 per cent.
As such, Newcastle have been on training trips to Saudi Arabia on more than one occasion. Saudi Arabia’s presence in sport is growing exponentially at the moment, with a lot of European players also moving to the Saudi Pro League.
The 2034 World Cup looks likely to be given to Saudi Arabia, too. The deadline for bids for the tournament is 31st October, and they’re the only country to lodge one.
Having been to the country for training camps over the past few years, Howe believes the tournament can be a good one.
“Our trips out there to Riyadh and Jeddah were two different experiences really,” he said during a press conference.
“Everywhere we went was well organised, we were well looked after. If that’s a sign of what a World Cup might look like, structurally it will be really good.”
It’s obvious that a side that is owned by Saudi Arabians was well looked after. However, human rights violations and the lack of freedom of expression and association and people subsequently being jailed for such in the country means some people might not be quite as welcome.
That’s not to mention the poor attendance figures for a lot of sides in the Saudi Pro League despite the league now boasting a lot of top players. While bumped up by fans from other countries, if the attendances in the World Cup are somewhat similar to those in league football in the country, the tournament won’t be as much of a spectacle as usual.
Given this particular World Cup isn’t until 2034, there’s time for those things to get better. However, at the moment, there’s likely to be question marks over how good the tournament can actually be.
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