“It Sets a Precedent”: As Saudi Arabia Preps To Host FIFA in 2034, Phil Mickelson’s Nemesis Taunts the Celebrated Decision

The much touted $3 billion merger between PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour is a sore thumb for many in the world of golf. While it is being favored by people who feel the collaboration would open new doors for the players, there are those who don’t see this merger getting finalized.

One of them is golf journalist and author Alan Shipnuck, who is notoriously famous for his rivalry with golfer Phil Mickelson. Now that a big change is about to take place in the world of golf, the situation regarding the impending merger has further left journalists worried.

Best-selling author worried after Saudi heads towards soccer

People associated with the golf industry know that LIV Golf is heavily funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who have deep pockets. Besides golf, they have been trying to expand their horizons in other sports for some time now and have finally succeeded. The much-celebrated FIFA World Cup is being scheduled for the next decade and Saudi Arabia has claimed the opportunity to be its host.

The bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup deadline closed yesterday. The football association had invited bids from Asia and Oceania for the tournament by October 31. Australia, who was originally supposed to host the event 11 years from now, has bowed out. Presently, Saudi Arabia is the only bidder for hosting FIFA 2034. The news was widely circulated on social media.

So when a Twitter user asked Shipnuck yesterday, “You could feel this coming, right?”, in his response, the author tweeted a heavy paragraph. He said, “This is why the Senate is heavily scrutinizing the framework agreement: it sets a precedent for Saudi investment in U.S. sports. The PIF is going to keep looking for opportunities. If the Tour welcomes their money, it becomes easier for the Saudis to buy…the Dallas Cowboys?”

The presence of Alan’s architecture rival in LIV Golf has never pleased him. And now more involvement from Saudi in other sports is getting goat.

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Australia vs Saudi Arabia – a tough match

In fact, the authorities of football are recognizing that the Arab investors are in a very strong position, and going against them would be hard.

James Johnson, Football Australia chief executive officer who is also the former Head of Professional Football at FIFA, said, “Saudi is a strong bid, they’ve got a lot of resources… their government top down, are prioritizing the investment in football and that’s difficult to compete with. As established in the bidding regulations approved by the Fifa Council, the Fifa administration will conduct thorough bidding and evaluation processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the Fifa World Cup”.

The merger hasn’t been finalized yet due to numerous issues and the interference of the Senate is one of them. What happens next in that regard remains to be seen.

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