Legal Complaint Questions FIFA Over 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia
A group of international lawyers filed a formal complaint with FIFA on Thursday, arguing that the football organization is not complying with its human rights policy in relation to the 2034 World Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.
The complaint, submitted through FIFA’s online portal for filing complaints, was made by Mark Pieth, former FIFA anti-corruption advisor; Stefan Wehrenberg, a Swiss lawyer; and Rodney Dixon, a British lawyer.
Its offers to advise FIFA on human rights compliance were ignored before Saudi Arabia was confirmed as the 2034 host last December, by acclamation and without competitors.
“As highlighted in this complaint, widespread human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated in Saudi Arabia, and FIFA is not taking action to address them in the run-up to the World Cup,” the lawyers stated in a 30-page document.
Statement from the lawyers
The complaint was filed hours before FIFA inaugurated its first annual congress of 211 member federations since Saudi Arabia was chosen as the host, in an online meeting.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was expected to arrive at the congress in Paraguay late, after joining US President Donald Trump on an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
The oil-rich kingdom has repeatedly stated that it is increasing freedoms as part of the Vision 2030 program to modernize its society and economy.
Infantino has linked FIFA’s finances and politics more closely with the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, since before the 2018 World Cup.
Infantino and Trump met on Wednesday in Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, which faced a decade of intense scrutiny for its human rights record and the treatment of migrant workers needed to build stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament.
Saudi Arabia has begun a similarly massive construction program for the 2034 tournament, which will feature more teams, more matches, and will require more stadiums, including more extravagant designs than the eight used in Qatar.
“Saudi Arabia has been chosen as the next host country despite its atrocious human rights record, including violations related to freedom of expression, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment, migrant rights, and women’s rights,” says the lawyers’ complaint.
FIFA’s human rights policy was published in 2017, requiring candidates for the 2026 men’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to “respect international human rights and labor standards in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles.”
In a recent letter to Human Rights Watch, which this week detailed alleged abuses against migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, FIFA stated its “firm commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights in the context of its operations.”
The lawyers’ complaint urges FIFA to see that “there is still an opportunity for significant reforms in Saudi Arabia, driven by the implementation of FIFA’s obligations under its policy”.
