Visit Saudi Don’t sponsor Australia and New Zealand Women’s World Cup Later this year, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has not ruled out future commercial opportunities for the Persian Gulf nation in women’s football.
The Saudi Arabian tourism office’s pitch as a potential sponsor of an expanded 32-team tournament drew heavy criticism from various groups, although Infantino said “Storm in a Glass of Water”.
The biggest annoyance came from Football AustraliaThe consensus was that this partnership “does not fit our collective vision for the tournament and does not live up to our expectations”.
Other prominent figures in women’s soccer, such as the veteran United States striker, also criticized the plan. Alex Morgan, who said it was “morally” pointless.
Alex Morgan.
Infantino announced this Thursday at the FIFA Congress in Kigali.
Discussions were held with Visit Saudi, but ultimately did not lead to an agreement. So it was a storm in a teacup. But FIFA is an organization that includes 211 nations. There is nothing wrong with accepting sponsorships from Saudi Arabia, China, USA, Brazil or India.
Finally, Swiss added that opponents of the potential sponsorship ignored existing commercial agreements between companies from Saudi Arabia and Australia.
I have a duality that I really don’t understand. No problem, no deal, but we want to see how we can involve Saudi sponsors and Qatari sponsors in women’s football in general.
Gianni Infantino.
(with info Reuters)
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