Women's World Cup: Alex Morgan slams 'bizarre' Visit Saudi sponsorship deal | OneFootball

US football star Alex Morgan has criticised FIFA’s potential sponsorship deal with Visit Saudi for the Women’s World Cup.

It was reported by The Guardian last month that FIFA had chosen Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority as a sponsor for the upcoming tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

This sparked a wave of backlash, with host organisations Football Australia and New Zealand Football decrying the move and asking FIFA to “urgently clarify” the reports.

Speaking to media in advance of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational football tournament featuring the US women’s national team, Morgan slammed the potential sponsorship deal.

“I think it’s bizarre that FIFA has looked to have a ‘Visit Saudi’ sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup when I, myself, Alex Morgan, would not even be supported and accepted in that country, so I just don’t understand it,” she said.

“I think that what Saudi Arabia can do is put efforts into their women’s team that was just formed only a couple of years ago and doesn’t even have a current ranking within the FIFA ranking system because of the few games that they’ve played.

“So that would be my advice to them. And I really hope that FIFA does the right thing. Morally, it just doesn't make sense.”

Why is there criticism of the Visit Saudi sponsorship deal?

Saudi Arabia has a dubious record when it comes to human rights, with women and members of the LGBTQ+ community subject to oppressive laws.

While there has been some progress made, with the country’s male guardianship system relaxed in 2018, Visit Saudi’s sponsorship of the Women’s World Cup has been branded a sportswashing exercise.

“It would be quite the irony for Saudi’s tourism body to sponsor the largest celebration of women’s sport in the world when you consider that, as a woman in Saudi Arabia, you can’t even have a job without the permission of your male guardian,” said Nikita White, a campaigner for Amnesty International Australia.

“The Saudi authorities have a horrendous record of human rights abuses – including cracking down on women’s rights defenders.

“The campaign of so-called reform leader Mohammed bin Salman is nothing more than a publicity stunt to try to diversify the economy. The Saudi authorities sponsoring the Women’s World Cup would be a textbook case of sportwashing.”