Following today’s FIFA Extraordinary Congress confirming Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup, 21 organizations issued a joint statement condemning the move as a “moment of great danger” to human rights.
Signatories include Saudi Arabian diaspora human rights organizations, Nepali and Kenyan migrant workers groups, international trade unions, fan representatives and global human rights organizations.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Labor Rights and Sports at Amnesty International, said:
“FIFA’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring that adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk. Based on the clear evidence to date, FIFA Always knowing that without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, workers would be exploited and even killed, the organization chose to press ahead and risked being held significantly responsible for many of the human rights abuses that followed.
FIFA knows that workers will be exploited and even die if fundamental reforms are not carried out in Saudi Arabia, but chooses to press ahead.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Labor Rights and Sports at Amnesty International
“At every stage of the bid process, FIFA has shown that its commitment to human rights is a sham. At the same time, Qatar’s continued failure to provide compensation to migrant workers exploited in Qatar raises questions about the lessons learned. The lesson is a lack of confidence. FIFA must urgently change course and ensure widespread reforms to the World Cup in Saudi Arabia, otherwise its flagship tournament will face a decade of exploitation, discrimination and repression.
“The flaws in FIFA’s bid process were also evident in the bid to host the 2030 World Cup, where significant human rights risks were not addressed. From over-policing and forced evictions to workers’ rights and legalized discrimination, ensuring everyone can fully We still have a lot of work to do to enjoy the 2030 Championship while respecting our rights.
Lina Alhathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy at ALQST for Human Rights, a Saudi expatriate human rights organization, said:
“It is frustrating, if not surprising, that FIFA’s award of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia under Mohammed bin Salman was based on a deeply flawed bid that sidestepped ties to external interests. or the Saudi public itself. Now that this has occurred, urgent and sustained action is needed to mitigate the serious risks of labor and civil rights abuses associated with the tournament, including by ensuring significant and credible reforms.
Bhim Shrestha, co-founder of Shramik Sanjal, a worker-led network of migrant workers in Nepal, said:
“We migrant workers suffer severe exploitation and our vulnerabilities are often ignored. Our lives matter – and we fear for the lives of thousands of our migrant brothers and sisters who are at risk. FIFA must not turn a blind eye; migrants Life requires accountability and justice.
background
On 11 November, Amnesty International and the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) called on FIFA to halt the vote to award the 2034 World Cup to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation following a detailed analysis of human rights risks in the country and key gaps in the proposed human rights strategy. will be hosted. The organizations also called on FIFA to ensure a more meaningful human rights strategy for the 2030 World Cups in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The analysis builds on detailed risk assessments for both events published by Amnesty International and the SRA in June.
On November 29, Amnesty International criticized FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s bid as a “shocking whitewash” and criticized it for failing to compensate migrant workers participating in the 2022 Qatar World Cup and ignoring international football’s Recommendations from an independent report commissioned by the General Administration.
