“Norway plans to protest FIFA and abstain from decision giving 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia

…Norway’s soccer federation plans to abstain from giving its approval when Saudi Arabia is confirmed Wednesday as the 2034 World Cup host, saying FIFA has done too little to protect human rights around the tournament.

“FIFA’s own guidelines for human rights and due diligence have also not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations,” Norway federation president Lise Klaveness said in a statement Tuesday.

FIFA’s 211 member federations are holding an online meeting on Wednesday to rubberstamp the decision to give Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup and award the 2030 edition to a six-nation project led by Spain, Portugal and Morocco that will see games played on three continents…

FIFA shaped the contests last year to have just one bid each that faced limited outside scrutiny, as the soccer body and its president Gianni Infantino continued to build deeper financial and political ties to Saudi Arabia…

However, FIFA has ignored advice to compensate workers in Qatar…

FIFA withheld the panel’s report for almost a year until publishing it Nov. 30…

“The lack of predictability and open processes challenges trust in FIFA as the global custodian of football,” Klaveness said.