Watan-In a bold move, Hanan El-Atr, the widow of the late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, embarrassed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by calling on FIFA and the organizers to commemorate her husband during the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which is set to be hosted in Saudi Arabia.
Hanan demanded that a stadium stand be named after Khashoggi or that his image be printed on match tickets, considering it a recognition of his sacrifice.
In her statements, Hanan El-Atr said: “I would love for them to honor my husband; the crime committed against him should not be forgotten,” referring to Khashoggi’s murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. This incident sparked a massive international outcry and severely damaged Saudi Arabia’s reputation on the global stage.
This request has stirred significant controversy, especially as bin Salman seeks to promote Saudi Vision 2030 by hosting major sports and cultural events to improve his image in the eyes of the international public.
The Crown Prince, who was directly accused of being behind Khashoggi’s murder according to international intelligence reports, has spent years working to rehabilitate his reputation by investing billions of dollars in global events. However, Khashoggi’s widow’s request has reopened the wounds of a crime that has not been forgotten.
Riyadh’s hosting of the 2034 World Cup is seen as part of a broader campaign to whitewash the image of the Saudi regime, which has faced widespread international criticism over its poor human rights record, including Khashoggi’s murder. However, Hanan El-Atr’s request to honor her husband during the tournament could embarrass the Saudi authorities and put them in direct confrontation with the international community.
The global public still holds bin Salman directly responsible for this crime, which shocked the world and tarnished the kingdom’s image for years. Now, with the world’s attention once again turning to Saudi Arabia due to the World Cup, the Khashoggi case is back in the spotlight, threatening the kingdom’s efforts to rehabilitate its image through its massive investments in sports.
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