RIYADH : Hammad Albalawi, head of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid, stated that the country has made significant progress in human rights while aiming to attract “more fans than ever” to the 48-team showpiece event.
Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup, with FIFA set to vote on it next week amid concerns about the country’s human rights record.
Albalawi said that the strides in human rights, especially in labour laws, are part of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to transforming its social and economic landscape under Vision 2030.
“We have come a long way and there’s still a long way to go. Our principle is to develop something that is right for us. Our journey started in 2016, not because of the World Cup bid,” Albalawi told Reuters.
“We’ve launched initiatives granting employees the freedom to move between employers. Documents of these employees are now uploaded into government systems, ensuring they have rights within their contracts.
“Only a month and a half ago, the government announced a new government insurance policy… These are substantive examples, not because we’re bidding for the World Cup, but because this is part of Vision 2030. This is part of who we are and what we are committed to.
“Our aim and aspiration is to bring more teams and more fans into one place than ever before.”
Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) said last month that FIFA must halt the process to pick Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 tournament unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote.
Albalawi said the World Cup will be held in a safe and family-friendly environment where visitors will enjoy both inside and outside the stadium regardless of the sale of alcohol, which was banned at the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar.
“I think today what you see in Saudi Arabia is an environment that is family friendly, safe and secure – something that people can actually enjoy on and off the pitch,” he said.
“We’ve had over 100 global sporting events that already have taken place in Saudi Arabia. No alcohol was served in those tournaments.
“Yet, we had three million sports fans come in and enjoy those tournaments that have come and come again.”
Albalawi also pointed to the rapid development of Saudi women’s football and its infrastructure as an example of the country’s development and social changes.
“Three years ago, there were zero girls playing football in school because the facilities weren’t there,” he said. “Today, the facilities are there and in two years after the facilities were built, we have over 80,000 girls playing football.”
Two ‘Marriage Realities’ That You Need To Accept—By A Psychologist
Marriage comes with terms and conditions, some of which aren’t mentioned in any vows or contracts. Here’s two that you’ll have to accept—for better or for worse.
Modern society has idealized the concept of marriage to the point where many people enter it with rose-colored glasses. The reality, however, is that it isn’t always a seamless, harmonious passage.
Marriage is beautiful, yes, but it’s also rife with complications. For those who aren’t therapists or counselors, the classic conflicts that arise—often sooner than later—can feel like an unwelcome surprise. And, if you’re unprepared, these challenges can be just as jarring years down the line.
To truly thrive in your relationship, you need to accept two key marriage realities first. Once you embrace them, you’ll find yourself better equipped to handle the inevitable ebbs and flows—and to take them in stride.
- You Need A Natural 5:1 Ratio
Drs. John and Julie Gottman emphasize the importance of incorporating the “5:1 ratio” into a marriage. Specifically, their ratio theory suggests that for every negative interaction a couple has, there should be at least five positive interactions to buffer these effects.
In fact, Dr. John Gottman’s 1994 book on marital processes and outcomes included a study that confirmed this. No matter the nature of a negative interaction, the relationship will remain stable so long as the ratio stays at 5:1.
But, if the ratio drops to under 1:1—specifically, anywhere below 0.8:1—the partnership is at risk of instability.
Anyone with awareness of the “magical” ratio will likely attempt to capitalize on it within their marriage. For any instance of defensiveness, criticism, passive-aggression or hostility, they’ll likely push to counteract it with compliments, physical affection or acts of service. However, the 5:1 ratio may fall flat if these buffers are insincere.
Conflict is a given in any relationship; it’s natural and unavoidable. Positive interactions, however, should be just as natural.
If you feel the need to shoehorn five meaningless hugs, kisses, thank you’s or compliments into your routine to make up for conflict, then it likely won’t act much as a buffer. Instead, it will feel bromidic for you both.
Love and affection shouldn’t need to be tallied, scored and tracked—nor should it be neatly limited to five. If anything, it should be an abundant, unconscious norm.
The true magic of the 5:1 ratio will only be effective if the positive interactions are genuine—that is, they should be bona fide displays of affection, not mitigation strategies.
The reality here is that no roster of positive interactions can truly compensate for conflict if those interactions are approached as mere preventative measures.
Love and care cannot be reduced to a checklist; they must flow naturally from a place of genuine affection and respect. If the effort to “balance the ratio” feels transactional, you risk spoiling the very intimacy and connection it’s meant to protect.
Caring for your partner shouldn’t feel like a rigid, forced task; it needs to be accepted and embraced as a norm. The 5:1 ratio only works in conjunction with authentic goodwill—something that can only be developed organically, without ulterior motive.
- You Need To Balance Competing Priorities
Esther Perel, psychotherapist and renowned relationship expert, often makes reference to the role of competing priorities in romantic relationships—describing relationships themselves as “cauldrons of contradictory longings.”
In simpler terms, marriage is built upon tensions. “Safety and excitement, grounding and transcendence, the comfort of love and the heat of passion,” mentions Perel.
These are only a few of the dichotomies that you will face in a long-term relationship, and on each end lies something vital to the health of your relationship. However, each of them will pull you in opposite directions.
Safety, security and comfort are among our most basic human needs—ones that are certainly necessary in our relationships too.
On the other hand, excitement and adventure are just as important; they drive, inspire and thrill us. We cannot have both at the same time, yet both are equally essential.
Similarly, a 2014 study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology notes the competing desire for individuality and connectedness in romantic relationships—the need to be me and need to be we.
At least in our predominantly individualistic Western society, couples will face tension in balancing their own needs versus their partners’, as well between the need for an individual versus a joint identity.
The reality here is that you will be permanently tasked with balancing these vital yet contradictory priorities. You will crave the comfort of a partnership that is stable and secure, but fear the consequences of it losing its sense of adventure and spark.
You will strive to build a shared identity with your partner, at the risk of losing the individuality that brought you together in the first place.
The solution lies in sustaining each end of the dichotomy—which requires intentionality, sacrifice and compromise that will be challenging but certainly worthwhile for you both. It means carving out time for spontaneity without overhauling your sense of safety.
It necessitates intimacy and togetherness while also respecting each other’s autonomy.
