The Women’s World Cup co-hosts from New Zealand and Australia applauded FIFA’s decision to drop Saudi Arabia’s tourism agency as a sponsor on Friday.
When news broke last month that Visit Saudi Arabia would be one of the sponsors of the 32-team women’s world cup being held by New Zealand and Australia starting on July 20, the two nations objected.
Given the Gulf country’s poor record on women’s rights, the football officials from Australia and New Zealand wrote a joint letter to FIFA saying they were “shocked” they hadn’t been informed.
However, Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, stated that negotiations with Visit Saudi “did not result in a contract” on Thursday while addressing a gathering in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Infantino also accused Australia of employing a “double standard” by opposing the sponsorship while maintaining trade links with Saudi Arabia.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said Friday that the body welcomed the “clarification from FIFA regarding Visit Saudi”.
Equality, diversity and inclusion were “deep commitments” for Football Australia, he said in a statement on its website.
“We’ll continue to work hard with FIFA to ensure the Women’s World Cup is shaped in this light,” Johnson added.
New Zealand Football also hailed FIFA’s confirmation.
“We believe it is critical for all commercial partnerships to align with the vision and values of the tournaments they are involved in,” it said in a statement.