The Amnesty and Sports and Rights Alliance (SRA) has released a 91-page research outlining the possible dangers of human rights abuses at the FIFA World Cups in 2030 and 2034.
Although each has just one proposal, votes to ratify the 2030 and 2034 World Cups are scheduled for next month at the FIFA Congress. Saudi Arabia is the only bidder for 2034, whereas Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are the only bidders for 2030.
FIFA need to stop the process of awarding the World Cup to Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty International and SRA. According to the report, neither group of bidders for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups has sufficiently explained how they would adhere to the human rights standards or consulted human rights organizations. It focuses on the risks in Saudi Arabia, which are so high that they may result in “severe and widespread human rights violations.”
Additionally, the research suggested that FIFA only grant Morocco, Spain, and Portugal the 2030 World Cup if they have a solid human rights plan in place.
Steve Cockburn, director of labor rights and sport at Amnesty International, said that Morocco, Portugal, and Spain need to take their human rights obligations far more seriously. “Only if governments and football associations are willing to collaborate closely with supporters, human rights organizations, trade unions, and other affected groups will the 2030 World Cup present a chance to improve human rights protections in all three countries.”
One of the main worries has been whether LGBTQ persons would face discrimination in the Kingdom, where anybody found guilty of same-sex sexual conduct faces the death penalty.
Pointing to the millions of fans who had visited Saudi Arabia for athletic events in previous years, Hammad Albalawi, chairman of the country’s World Cup bid unit, said in September that LGBTQ supporters were welcome and that their privacy would be protected.
The ambitious ambitions to construct and rebuild 11 stadiums, create over 185,000 hotel rooms, and undertake significant infrastructure projects to link to new cities were also included in Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Bid Book.
“To achieve its World Cup goals, Saudi Arabia will need a large number of migrant workers, but no pledges have been made to change the exploitative ‘Kafala’ sponsorship system, set a minimum wage for non-citizens, allow them to join trade unions, or implement new measures to prevent worker deaths,” Cockburn stated.
If Saudi Arabia is given the 2034 World Cup without receiving reliable assurances of transformation, there will be a clear and predictable human cost. Numerous people will perish, migrant laborers will be exploited, locals will be forced evicted, and fans will experience prejudice,” he said.
“It will be obvious that FIFA’s commitment to human rights is a sham unless it is forthright about the scope and gravity of the risks that lie ahead and takes action to prevent them,” said Andrea Florence, Director of the Sports and Rights Alliance.
“It would be shocking to see FIFA now completely abandon these principles in favor of its bottom line, as the organization was the first global sports body to introduce human rights criteria in its selection process for a mega-sporting event,” Florence said.
Prior to its extraordinary Congress on December 11, FIFA announced that the bid assessment reports for the World Cups in 2030 and 2034 will be released. A FIFA representative said, “FIFA is putting in place rigorous bidding procedures for the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cup editions.”
