Saudi Arabia should bid for women's World Cup, says former coach
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Women pose for a picture during the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy tour in Cali, Colombia, on April 3, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Saudi Arabia’s women team may be a long way away from qualifying for the World Cup but a more realistic aim would be to host the tournament, the country’s technical director of the women’s game, Monika Staab, told Reuters.
Staab, who had stints as a player in her native Germany, France and England, was the first coach of the newly set up Saudi Arabia women’s football team in 2021 before moving to her current role in February.
The team played their first games in February 2022 and Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) board member Lamia bin Bahian stated the goal was for the side to be a participant at the World Cup within 10 years.
Staab, 64, said that may take longer but that a quicker route could be to play in the tournament as the host nation.
“I told them that something takes time. It’s like a little baby... So we’re talking about at least 10 years’ development and they’re going at a very fast speed,” the German said at the International Sports Convention in London.
“I’m not sure now any more if it will really happen in 10 years, I told them 2035 could be a realistic aim because we started in 2021...
“I think that, for me, it is more realistic to maybe host the Women’s World Cup in Saudi Arabia.”
The hosts for the Women’s World Cup usually get a short amount of time to prepare, with the 2027 host nation
Saudi Arabia are bidding to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, which will be decided in April.
It is part of a wider strategy of the Gulf nation to host huge sporting events.
Saudi Arabia will host the men’s Club World Cup in 2023, having already hosted the men’s Spanish Super Cup and events in Formula One and boxing.
A bid for the men’s World Cup in 2030 is expected to come through.
However, critics have accused Saudi Arabia of using sport to cover up its poor record on human rights and equality issues in a country where men still retain a tight grip on power.
That was part of the backlash to a possible Visit Saudi sponsorship of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20-Aug 20.
World governing body Fifa announced in March that the Saudi tourism board would not sponsor the tournament.
Staab, who has worked as a coach in Bahrain and Qatar, said she was not best placed to comment on the sponsorship issue but added that it was important for Fifa to look at ways to help women’s football in countries that were early in their development. REUTERS
