FIFA has been accused of an “astonishing whitewash” over Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid, which has been given a record score in the governing body’s evaluation report
FIFA are under fire for what has been labelled an “astonishing whitewash” in relation to Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2034 World Cup. The Middle Eastern nation received a glowing evaluation from FIFA, which was released late Friday, setting the stage for its uncontested bid to be confirmed at the FIFA Congress on December 11.
Despite Amnesty International’s warnings that migrant workers could face death without significant reforms, the Saudi bid was surprisingly rated as medium risk on human rights grounds. Furthermore, it was considered low risk regarding sustainability and environmental protection, even though there’s no set date for the tournament and Riyadh faces scorching temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius during traditional World Cup months.
Amnesty’s head of labour rights and sport, Steve Cockburn, condemned FIFA’s assessment: “FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup is an astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record. The sports body has decided to ignore the clear evidence of worker exploitation, legalised discrimination and severe repression, and press ahead with a predetermined decision.”
Cockburn also accused FIFA of abandoning its human rights policies just to ensure Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 World Cup.
He added: “Unless huge human rights reforms are introduced, people will be exploited, evicted from their homes and even die as a result.”
A separate report on the conditions of migrant workers at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was released late on Friday – almost a year after its completion. It concluded that FIFA, along with other bodies including the Qatari state, bear a “shared responsibility” to provide compensation to labourers and the families of deceased workers involved in construction for the event.
Earlier in the week, Amnesty International slammed the decision not to use a 50 million US dollar legacy fund from the 2022 World Cup to directly compensate migrant workers as “shameful”. Despite Saudi Arabia’s criminalisation of same-sex relationships and restrictions on freedom of expression, the country received a medium risk score for human rights in the 2034 World Cup evaluation report.
The report recognised the extensive work required for reform but suggested: “There is a good potential that the tournament could serve as a catalyst for some of the ongoing and future reforms and contribute to positive human rights outcomes for people in Saudi Arabia and the region that go beyond the scope of the tournament itself.”
It also noted: “Addressing potential gaps with respect to freedom of expression would likely take significant effort and time.”
However, it remained optimistic about the future, adding: “However, the event-time measures to guarantee these rights provide a basis for implementation by 2034.”
The report has flagged up the “complexities” of scheduling, hinting at the possibility of another winter World Cup that would disrupt leagues running from August to May. The question is whether domestic leagues, already locking horns with FIFA over its match calendar, will agree to a mid-season hiatus.