Amnesty International and 20 other organizations issued a warning on Wednesday, saying that FIFA’s decision to give the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia “marks a moment of great danger” and puts countless lives at risk. Only 12 years after Qatar hosted the World Cup in 2022, Saudi Arabia, the only contender, was officially confirmed as the 2034 hosts in a virtual FIFA Congress. “Despite the well-known and severe risks to residents, migrant workers, and visiting fans alike, awarding the tournament to Saudi Arabia marks a moment of great danger,” a statement released by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and the Football Supporters Europe group said.
“As global and regional human rights organisations, trade unions, fans groups and organisations representing migrant workers, many of us have long highlighted the severe risks posed by Saudi Arabia’s hosting of mega-sporting events,” the organizations stated.
“By awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without meaningful protections, FIFA has today decided both to ignore our warnings and discard its own human rights policies.”
“Weak human rights”
FIFA’s own assessment study, which was made public last month, deemed Saudi Arabia bid to be “medium risk” in terms of human rights, noting that it could require “significant effort and time” to achieve changes.
Rights organizations have long emphasized Saudi Arabia’s mass executions, torture claims, and limitations on women under the male guardianship system in the conservative nation.
There are strong restrictions on free speech, and some people have been sentenced to long jail sentences for posting critical content on social media.
“FIFA can never claim that it did not know the severity of the risks of hosting its flagship event in a country with such weak human rights protections,” stated the statement.
“The national football associations cannot vote in favor of it either.
“It is evident that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by repression, discrimination and exploitation on a massive scale.”
Saudi Arabia is frequently accused of “sportswashing”—using sport to deflect attention from its rights record—because it now hosts a number of high-profile events, such as Formula One, heavyweight boxing, and tennis’ WTA Finals.
The choice to give the World Cup to Saudi Arabia “without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place” could endanger countless lives, according to Steve Cockburn, Head of Labor Rights and Sport at Amnesty International.
“Based on clear evidence to date, FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless,” he stated.
“The organization runs the possibility of being held heavily accountable for a large number of the ensuing violations of human rights.
“At every stage of this bidding process, FIFA has shown its commitment to human rights to be a sham.”
To make sure the “violations and abuses of this World Cup” are not overlooked, the organizations promised to mobilize over the next ten years.
“FIFA must urgently change course and ensure that the World Cup is accompanied by wide-ranging reforms in Saudi Arabia, or risk a decade of exploitation, discrimination and repression connected to its flagship tournament,” Cockburn said.
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