November 12 – Growing the chorus of rights groups criticising FIFA, Amnesty International has said that the world governing body must stop the 2034 World Cup bid process because of human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia.
“There will be a real and predictable human cost to awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform. Fans will face discrimination, residents will be forcibly evicted, migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die. FIFA must halt the process until proper human rights protections are in place to avoid worsening an already dire situation,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labour Rights and Sport, in a statement.
In a new report ‘High Stakes Bids’, Amnesty highlights the human rights risks related to a World Cup in Saudi Arabia and lists the flaws in Clifford Chance’s assessment of the Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup human rights strategy again, claiming that the scope of the assessment was limited and restrictive.
The report identified gaps in the Saudi human rights strategy saying: “There is no commitment to reform the country’s exploitative Kafala system, permit trade unions and other forms of workers’ representation, introduce a minimum wage for migrant workers or ratify remaining ILO Conventions. There are no specific new measures to enhance health and safety protections, for example in relation to the risk of heat stress. There is no commitment that welfare standards will apply to all workers connected to the World Cup preparation and hosting, beyond those not working on official tournament sites (such as on related transport projects, hotels etc). There are no specific commitments to ensure improved access to remedy when labour abuses occur.”
On December 11, FIFA is expected to award Saudi Arabia the 2034 finals at an extraordinary virtual congress.
The world federation fast-tracked Saudi Arabia’s bid after giving other eligible nations less than a month to enter the race. Zurich is set to award the 2030 World Cup to Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, a scenario that paved the way for the Arab kingdom to become the sole bidder for the 2034 finals.
FIFA has always maintained that the bidding races for both the 2030 and 2034 World Cups have met previous standards.
Amnesty International also demands a credible human rights strategy from the 2030 World Cup organisers, spotlighting “the excessive use of police force against crowds in all three countries, the improper use of rubber bullets, as well as restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly and the persistence of racist, sexist and homophobic abuse within football” in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“FIFA has long claimed that it includes human rights standards when selecting its World Cup hosts and when delivering its flagship tournaments. Unless FIFA is honest about the scale and severity of the risks ahead, and acts to prevent them, it will be clear that its commitment to human rights is a sham,” said Andrea Florence, Director of the Sports and Rights Alliance.
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