FIFA, the world governing body for football, released on Friday night its evaluation report for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2034, awarding the nation a higher score for bidding requirements than it granted the successful Canadian, American and Mexican joint bid for the 2026 edition, while declaring the risk assessment for human rights to be “medium”.

FIFA also claim in their report that there is “good potential” for the competition to act as a “catalyst” for reforms within Saudi Arabia, saying it will “contribute to positive human rights outcomes”. Amnesty International described FIFA’s observations as “an astonishing whitewash” of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

The bid report also declared the bid by oil-rich Saudi to have demonstrated a “good commitment to sustainability” while FIFA acknowledges that the Saudi bid presents an “elevated risk” in terms of timing due to the climate of the country.

FIFA, which ordinarily holds men’s World Cups in June and July, says the bidder did not stipulate a proposed window for the tournament but pledged to collaborate to “ensure the tournament’s success”, implying we may see a repeat of the 2022 edition in Qatar which was shifted to the winter months to allow for the safety of participants and supporters.

FIFA ranks its World Cup bids out of five and awarded the Saudi bid a score of 4.2, higher than the so-called United bid for 2026, which was rated 4.0. For the Women’s World Cup in 2027, Brazil’s successful bid was ranked 4.0, while the defeated joint bid of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany was given a score of 3.7.

FIFA released its report in an email to media at 12.33am Central European Time on Saturday morning. Almost immediately, reports emerged in Middle Eastern English-speaking outlets such as the Saudi Gazette, declaring that the Saudi bid had received the highest ever score from FIFA when bidding for a World Cup.

The Saudi bid for the 2034 World Cup had already been considered a nigh-on inevitability because it was the only bidder for the tournament. This outcome developed after FIFA announced a mega-edition bid for the 2030 World Cup, which would be hosted across three continents (Africa, Europe and South America) and six countries (Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay).

This ruled those three continents out of bidding for the following World Cup in 2034, while the joint U.S., Canada and Mexico event for 2026 ruled out a return to North America due to FIFA’s principle of confederation rotation.

This left the Saudis with a clear run in the absence of a rival from elsewhere in Asia or Oceania, subject to a vote of member nations at the FIFA Congress on December 11, which was widely seen as a formality.

FIFA’s report say their evaluation “consulted various sources, including the bidder’s human rights strategy, the mandated context assessment, as well as direct commitments from the host country and host cities, together with all contractual hosting documents, all of which notably contain provisions relating to respecting human rights in connection with the competition”.

However, The Athletic revealed last month how 11 organisations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, a Saudi Arabian diaspora organisation and human rights groups specialising in the Gulf region — raised major concerns about the credibility of a report for FIFA entitled “Independent Context Assessment Prepared for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in relation to the FIFA World Cup 2034”.

The independent context assessment, produced by the Saudi arm of global law firm Clifford Chance, excluded a large number of internationally recognised human rights from its assessment, saying this was because “either Saudi Arabia has not ratified the relevant treaties or because the Saudi Football Federation did not recognise them as ‘applying’ to the assessment”.

This meant it avoided delving into matters many would consider pertinent to Saudi, notably relating to freedom of expression, association and assembly, as well as LGBTQI+ discrimination, the prohibition of trade unions, the right to freedom of religion and forced evictions.

The report said that the scope of its assessment was “determined by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in agreement with FIFA”, suggesting that FIFA itself approved the omissions. Both the Saudi Football Association and FIFA did not respond when approached by The Athletic at the time.

In a press release by the rights groups, they claimed that “Saudi Arabia’s already dire human rights record has deteriorated under the de facto rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman” and cited a “soaring number of mass executions, torture, enforced disappearance, severe restrictions on free expression, repression of women’s rights under the male guardianship system, LGBTI+ discrimination, and the killing of hundreds of migrants at the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border”.

“As expected, FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid is an astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record,” added Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport. “There are no meaningful commitments that will prevent workers from being exploited, residents from being evicted or activists from being arrested.

“By ignoring the clear evidence of severe human rights risks, FIFA is likely to bear much responsibility for the violations and abuses that will take place over the coming decade. Fundamental human rights reforms are urgently required in Saudi Arabia, or the 2034 World Cup will be inevitably tarnished by exploitation, discrimination and repression.”

The FIFA bid evaluation, published on Saturday morning, leans heavily on the Clifford Chance report. It does not make any references to the terms “LGBTQI+”, “sexuality” or “sexual orientation”, while the only mention of women’s rights within Saudi Arabia can be found with references to the growth of the women’s game and women’s participation in football within Saudi.

The bid evaluation says that Saudi “has made significant strides in developing interest and grassroots participation for women and girls, and at the elite level”.

A model of Jeddah Central Development at the Saudi 2034 World Cup exhibition in Riyadh (Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)

The bid, which ranks by low, medium or high, also gives a medium level of risk to stadiums, transport and accommodation, as well as the previously explained “event timing”. Stadiums are awarded a 4.1 rating out of five, despite eight of the proposed 15 stadiums for the tournament being new-builds. FIFA said this presented a “slightly elevated” risk profile.

The bid evaluation says the Saudi bid submitted commitments from the government to “respect, protect and fulfil internationally recognised human rights in connection with the competition, including in the areas of safety and security, labour rights (in particular fundamental labour rights and those of migrant workers), rights of children, gender equality and non-discrimination, as well as freedom of expression (including press freedom)”.

FIFA says the Saudis have committed to “equitable wages”, as well as “decent working and living conditions for all individuals involved in the preparation and delivery of the FIFA World Cup, including through the establishment of a workers’ welfare system to monitor compliance with labour rights standards for tournament-related workers”.

They also say the Saudis will “engage with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in relation to its commitment to upholding international labour standards in all activities associated with the competition.” The treatment and rights of migrant workers were among the biggest talking points before and during the 2022 World Cup, staged in neighbouring Qatar.

GO DEEPER

World Cup 2022 migrant worker diaries, one year on: Death, regret, joy and trying to return

FIFA simultaneously released its report for the sole bid for the 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. The 2030 bid, which does not have a rival, will also be voted on by the member nations on December 11. It also received a rating of 4.2 out of 5, with the only medium risk factors judged to be stadiums, accommodation, transport, and the legal framework of the tournament.

The “sustainable event management” and “environmental protection” of a competition held across three continents was judged to be a “low” risk.

The report says that the “environmental impact assessment and initial carbon footprint assessment by the bidder, together with the commitments, objectives and mitigation actions outlined, provide a good foundation for the development of effective strategies towards managing the negative impacts of the tournament on the planet and protecting the environment”.

(Top photo: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

If you log on to TexAgs.com, the popular Texas A&M fandom hub, and peruse the message boards, it won’t take long to find a mention of the Aggies’ most-hated rival: Texas.

On TexAgs’ premium board, where tens of thousands of paying subscribers congregate to discuss Aggies football, the longest message board thread with the most replies is entitled “Horn Meltdown Thread.” It’s 326 pages and as of Wednesday had more than 11,000 posts since the thread began in February. There’s been a Horn Meltdown Thread every year since 2014.

Type Orangebloods.com — a top destination for Longhorns fans since 2001 — into your web browser and mosey over to its subscription board. There’s a thread dedicated to discussing Texas A&M football news, where Longhorns rejoice whenever the Aggies stumble. The current one started in October 2022, is 871 pages and has more than 30,000 posts.

In the case of Texas and Texas A&M, their 13 years apart on the football field only fueled the hatred in their 118-year-old rivalry. Why? Because the rivalry lived online, through message boards and social media.

Now, with the Longhorns and Aggies set to meet Saturday night for the first time since 2011 — and with an SEC Championship Game berth at stake — the anticipation and intensity are at a fever pitch on Orangebloods, TexAgs and fans’ social media platforms of choice.

“The rivalry was just too big to go away,” said Robert Behrens, a Texas A&M graduate, managing editor of A&M fan website Good Bull Hunting and prolific poster of Aggies statistics. “People had to push their anger somewhere.”

Let’s start with one of the biggest reasons the rivalry simmered over the years in certain corners of the internet: proximity.

Texas and Texas A&M’s campuses are roughly 100 miles apart. They are the two largest universities in the state with the two biggest alumni bases. Their graduates share office space, fantasy football leagues and even dinner tables. The game might not have existed after Texas A&M left the Big 12 to join the SEC in 2012, but the trash talking never really stopped, online or off, in the decade-plus before Texas joined the Aggies in the SEC.

“You can’t expect there not to be Aggies and Longhorns in each other’s lives, every day, at Thanksgiving, in the families, in the workplace, friendships,” said Billy Liucci, the executive editor of TexAgs.com. “The game can go away, but there’s still Longhorns and Aggies who grew up liking each other or loving each other.”

But, Liucci said, “You’ve had two fan bases that, for 13 years, have been praying for the other one’s downfall.”

In 2019, Anwar Richardson, who covers Texas for Orangebloods, wrote a column advocating for the Aggies and Longhorns to resume their rivalry game. The reception from many of those who commented on the story was frosty.

“Like little kids, they picked up their ball and ran home. Screw them,” one poster said.

Said another: “No No No. Never Never Never. Drop it already, Texas should never play them again in any sport. They left, and talked s— on the way out.”

“There were 14 pages of commentary telling him, ‘You’re an idiot, stay in your lane, you don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said Geoff Ketchum, the publisher and owner of Orangebloods.

Recruiting has also kept things spicy between the Aggies and Longhorns. Although they haven’t competed on the field, the schools have gone head-to-head for dozens of recruits. The state of Texas is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country, and Texas and Texas A&M usually pursue the state’s top prospects.

Message boards are prime real estate for rumors, especially in recruiting, where concrete information on the intentions of high school football stars can be elusive. Orangebloods and TexAgs are ground zero for keeping up with the comings and goings of Texas and Texas A&M recruiting, especially when the schools square off on the trail. And not just through message board rumors; both sites are fully staffed with reporters who cover the football teams and recruiting, dispersing real information to subscribers.

“That’s definitely kept the conversation going,” said Brandon Jones, president and CEO of TexAgs. “That’s where these small victories would take place: Who’s winning what recruits?”

The intensity of high-profile recruiting battles even once led to a public spat between Liucci and Ketchum. In January 2015, after longtime Texas A&M commit Kyler Murray visited Texas, the two got into a disagreement on what was then known as Twitter.

It started with Ketchum inviting Liucci onto his radio show (Liucci declined), then a debate on the chances that Murray would flip his commitment to Texas (he didn’t). Then it got personal, complete with name-calling, questions of professionalism and thinly veiled threats.

Liucci and Ketchum said they patched things up after that and get along fine. But it underscored how intense the rivalry could get online.

For those die-hards who aren’t paying a monthly fee to post or read content on Orangebloods ($9.99 a month) or TexAgs ($16.99), X has also been ripe for back-and-forth.

Kyle Umlang, a data analyst and podcast host, gained popularity in Texas social media circles for his #AggieFactThursday posts, which are random facts and statistics about Texas A&M’s futility or Texas’ superiority.

It’s been 30 years since Texas A&M had back-to-back 10-win seasons. #AggieFactThursday

— Kyle Umlang (@kyleumlang) November 21, 2024

10 Win Seasons | Since 2000

19 Oklahoma
11 Texas
1 Texas A&M#AggieFactThursday

— Kyle Umlang (@kyleumlang) October 10, 2024

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Umlang authored multiple books in this vein. The first was titled “101 Aggie Facts: Things Every Longhorn Should Know.” Three volumes were published. In August, Umlang announced his latest book, “The 2024 Aggie Fact Almanac,” which boasts more than 400 of Umlang’s Aggies facts.

Behrens, who began writing for Good Bull Hunting in 2013, has also gotten into the social media statistical sword fight. On Jan. 1, nearly two months after Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher but minutes after Washington defeated Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Behrens posted a thinking emoji with a graphic comparing Fisher’s first three years at A&M to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s first three years at Texas.

🤔 pic.twitter.com/NM1kCfgJR9

— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) January 2, 2024

“I’ll throw out a completely factual statement that obviously implies an opinion or where I’m trying to lead you, but if someone tries to call me on it, I can just say, ‘Well, what did I say that was wrong?’” Behrens said. “I’m not going to say that I’m always objective, because I have a rooting interest and a bias. But I try to do it from a place that everybody can appreciate.”

Posts from Aggies or Longhorns about the other, however genuine or disingenuous, usually stir up a reaction. Because — even when they haven’t played — the rivalry still matters to both sides.

“Each side will tell you, ‘Oh, we’re in their head rent-free,’” said Amanda Atwell, a 2016 Texas graduate and former sports anchor who often posts about the Longhorns on X. “And they’re both renting out spaces in each other’s heads. I think we can just admit that at this point.”

Liucci, Jones said, “likes to mix it up on social media with Texas fans.” Ketchum doesn’t shy away from it either.

“I jokingly call myself Texas A&M’s No. 1 historian,” Ketchum said. “I’ve seen it all. It’s a different perspective of their history, but for the last 30 years, I know all the names, I know all the coaches, I’ve seen where all the bodies are buried. So it makes this weekend a lot of fun because I’ve missed it.

“I’ve missed Aggies. I’ve missed the rivalry and just being in each other’s lives, literally every day. Life’s better when these two have something cooking against each other.”

Liucci had mixed feelings about the rivalry returning before Texas moved into the SEC, but once the Longhorns did, the return of the game couldn’t get here fast enough, he said. He will relish the chance to claim superiority if the Aggies win on Saturday, but he also knows what’s waiting for him on social media if they lose.

“You talk it, you better be able to back it up,” he said. “On Twitter, the receipts are there for everyone to have on both sides.

“Everybody just wants bragging rights.”

(Photo of Texas A&M’s Ben Malena in 2011: Darren Carroll / Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, Texas — Something seemed a little off. DeMarvion Overshown was blitzing, and the running back picked him up. But after the two collided, the back let the Dallas Cowboys linebacker go.

And that’s when Overshown changed the game.

The second-year linebacker put up his right arm, got a hand on the short pass intended for the running back and hauled it in near the New York Giants’ 25-yard line. Overshown then finished the run, holding the ball in the air near the 5-yard line as he ran into the end zone.

The play helped put the Cowboys ahead 13-7 early in the second quarter, and they never looked back, defeating the Giants 27-20 on Thursday at AT&T Stadium.

“I was really just thinking, ‘Just blow up the play,’” Overshown said. “It was a blitz with my number on it. I just knew I needed to make an impact play or at least cause some type of confusion back there. When the running back let me loose, I was like, ‘There’s some BS going on.’ And then the quarterback threw the ball and I was like, ‘This is my play to make.’”

The quarterback was Drew Lock, playing in place of an injured Tommy DeVito. The running back was Devin Singletary. On the Fox game broadcast, Tom Brady pointed out how the Giants called a “low-risk play” with the screen, certainly not expecting a potential turnover.

“Lock isn’t even thinking about an interception,” Brady said. “You think I got an easy throw. But Overshown with his length ends up making a game-changing play.”

An AT&T Stadium crowd that has understandably booed the home team several times this season was about as loud as it’s been all season as Overshown finished the run.

WHAT A PLAY BY OVERSHOWN.

📺: #NYGvsDAL on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/o9hC8Zduzw

— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024

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“I was able to kick in some Nitrous, and we were dancing in the end zone after that,” Overshown said. “As soon as I got the ball, I knew I was scoring. So it was like, ‘What dance am I fitting to bring out today?’

“It couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanksgiving, the world’s watching.”

The start of Thursday’s game looked similar to previous Cowboys home games this season. The offense was unimpressive, and the defense was struggling to shut down a Giants offense that managed only one meaningless late touchdown in a 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

But after the Overshown play, there was a momentum that has been missing at home. Dallas entered the game having trailed significantly entering the fourth quarter in its previous five home games, all decisive losses. It’s been a strange situation for a team that had been riding a 16-game home winning streak over the previous two seasons. The Cowboys led 27-10 at the end of the third quarter.

“This is our home,” Overshown said. “This is our castle. Teams should be scared to play us when they come here. Being on that losing streak, it wasn’t nice for us, either. It’s good to get this place rocking like it’s supposed to be. Now we got to keep it going.”

The Cowboys have won two consecutive games, improving their record to 5-7. But they’re far from realistically discussing the playoffs. Beating the Washington Commanders and Giants is certainly not a reason to erase how this disappointing season has started. Even usual glass-half-full team owner and general manager Jerry Jones didn’t want to discuss playoff possibilities after the game.

But Overshown’s play is a reason to be optimistic about the future. It also has a way of making one wonder what could have been last season as his rookie year ended in Dallas’ second preseason game. Could a play like the one he made Thursday have been a difference-maker during the season or maybe even the playoffs had he not suffered a torn ACL in his left knee?

“I told y’all from the beginning he was going to be a dude,” Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons said. “Before the injury, I said, ‘That will be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl-type player. Now, he ain’t (No. 11) yet, that’s Agent 0. He’s not trying to be like me; he’s his own special specimen. He’s a wildcat on the field. Man, I love playing next to him.”

Overshown turned in flash plays early in the season, but he’s been more consistent as this year has unfolded. Playing next to a veteran like Eric Kendricks has helped. The two connected on another key defensive play Thursday.

On the opening series of the third quarter, Kendricks sacked Lock, stripping the ball in the process. Overshown recovered. Dallas scored six plays later, making the score 20-10.

DeMarvion Overshown’s interception return for a TD was a game-changer Thursday. (Andrew Dieb / Imagn Images)

“D-Mo is a great player,” Kendricks said. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around. His attitude is just pure. He loves the game. I love to see it. And it motivates me, being in my 10th year. It motivates me to see a Year 2 guy like him, especially what he brings to the field.

“He’s getting better every game. He knows he has things to work on. He’s taking it seriously. The sky is the limit. I’m excited to see what he has in store. Expect more big games from him this year.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy had similar thoughts after the game, saying Overshown’s interception was one of Dallas’ highlight plays of the season. He, too, sees even better days ahead for last year’s third-round pick.

“I’m very thankful,” Overshown said. “Just before the game, I was telling myself, ‘Around this time last year, I was just waiting to show people my testimony. When I get back on the field, I’m going to show what God has truly put into me: to go out there and inspire and play like I do.’ Just being out there on the field healthy is all I can ask for.”

(Photo: Andrew Dieb / Imagn Images)