Earlier this month, FIFA officially awarded Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup.
The Gulf Kingdom was the sole bidder after the Asian Football Confederation made it clear it would not support an Australian bid.
Supporters of the decision, including respected sports journalist Tracey Holmes, argue a World Cup in the kingdom offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to foster positive change. A range of celebrities and players also congratulated the Saudi Arabian Football Association and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Human rights groups, though, have widely condemned FIFA’s decision – Human Rights Watch warned: "There is a near certainty the 2034 World Cup will be stained with pervasive rights violations."
FIFA and human rights
FIFA claims it can encourage positive human rights transformations in host nations, and since 2017 it has enshrined human rights in its guiding principles.
In 2017, FIFA’s executive committee signed onto the so-called “Ruggie Principles”, adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously in 2011.
These principles recognize that:
- states have the duty to protect human rights
- businesses have the responsibility to align their activities with human rights
- individuals and organizations need to have effective judicial and non-judicial remedies to human rights violations.
FIFA subsequently published its own Human Rights Policy. It makes a commitment for FIFA to “exercise its leverage, and seek to increase said leverage where necessary, in connection with adverse human rights impacts arising through its business relationships” and to “strive to go beyond its responsibility to respect human rights […] by taking measures to promote the protection of human rights.”
Querying recent World Cup hosts
Of course, FIFA’s own guidelines raise the question: does evidence support the claim that hosting a World Cup promotes human rights improvements?
There is very little reason to suspect the FIFA 2034 World Cup will lead to lasting change in Saudi Arabia. Mega events rarely result in lasting human rights improvements, especially when measured against their human costs.
The reason why sports mega-events do not change societies is because FIFA’s influence is very weak compared to the power of authoritarian rulers like Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia), Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Qatar), and Vladimir Putin (Russia).
These leaders are adept at taking on mega-events – in sports or otherwise – and using these events’ popularity to drive their own political agendas.
The Russian 2018 World Cup bid shows how little power FIFA has to change a government’s political agenda.
Russia allegedly won the cup after a fraudulent competitive process.
Then, legislators in Western Europe and the United States pressed FIFA to move the competition because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its alleged attacks on defectors in the United Kingdom. During the cup, LGBTQIA+ activists and journalists in Russia faced persecution from state security.
Ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Qatar promised to reform its human rights record. The government made changes to improve labor relations, but hundreds if not thousands died during the construction phase.
The Qataris made very few steps to improve rights for women, religious minorities, or LGBTQIA+ people. During the event, FIFA banned rainbow captains’ armbands, previously allowed, at the request of the Qatari government, which provoked protest from players.
Human rights and the Saudi bid
In July this year, FIFA published reports on the 2034 bid and its human rights strategy in connection with the World Cup.
FIFA’s executive summary of the 2034 bid assesses the risks of a human rights issue in 2034 as medium. However, it also says there is “good potential that hosting the competition could help contribute to positive human rights impacts”.
This comes despite the possibility of labour rights violations, identity-based discrimination, violations of the rights for the disabled, and the lack of freedom of expression.
The Saudi Arabian Football Association’s 28-page document makes no promises about press freedom. Nor does it mention LGBTQIA+ rights – Saudi law criminalises homosexuality and trans identity.
The report can offer no concrete assurances Saudi Arabia will protect religious freedom and minority rights.
What about labor rights?
The largest part of the Saudi Arabian Football Association’s report deals with labour relations. It promises to rectify the kingdom’s derisory labour rights after identifying widespread labor problems, including issues with welfare standards and forced labor.
However, the report also notes the kingdom has made several overhauls of labour law in the past two decades to improve working conditions.
Nevertheless, there are many reasons to doubt these promises.
The 2034 World Cup requires an astounding 11 new stadiums, transport networks, and the construction of almost 200,000 new hotel rooms.
The kingdom’s construction boom is already fueled by approximately 13 million migrant laborers working under dire conditions. A Guardian investigation discovered high numbers of excess deaths among migrant laborers in Saudi Arabia, particularly those from Bangladesh. In 2022 alone, 1,500 Bangladeshi migrant workers died.
Why give the World Cup to authoritarian regimes?
So why does FIFA maintain that awarding hosting rights to problematic countries is a chance to drive positive change when the evidence suggests the opposite?
FIFA can only award the hosting rights to countries that bid for the World Cup. The increasingly high costs of hosting mean few countries are willing to sign onto the hosting responsibilities.
Australia was willing to host in 2034, but crucially it did not have the support of the Asian Football Confederation.
Saudi Arabia simply was willing to spend what it took to ensure their bid won. This is possibly another example of their broader effort to “sportswash” their regime’s human rights records.
Keith Rathbone is Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University.
The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
- External Link
- https://theconversation.com/fifa-has-a-human-rights-policy-so-how-could-it-award-saudi-arabia-the-2034-soccer-world-cup-245852
26 Comments
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virusrex
Obviously the answer is corruption, FIFA is a famously corrupted organization that moves with the only priority of making money for a selected few.
wallace
The fans should boycott the 2034 World Cup.
Raw Beer
Yet they are completely silent about human rights abuse by other host nations.
starpunk
'Big money has a mean streak. Big money got no soooooouuuuuuuulllllllllll.......' - RUSH
Absolutely. The human rights scenario there sucks unwashed whale butt. They exploit their citizens and the foreign workers from East Asia and Africa there too. Saudi Arabia's government and society is totalitarian and rotten. That was one reason why I opposed the 1991 Gulf war. I never liked that bastardo Saddam Hussein either, but the Saudis should've dealt with him themselves if they thought he was such a danger to them. Their regime IS NOT worth American lives or bloodshed!
Boycotting the South African 'Sun City' resort made the apartheid regime cry uncle. Apartheid is gone. The UN boycott on Libya pushed Gaddafy to pay off his terrorism victims.
Boycott the 2034 World Cup, put the economic squeeze on Saudi Arabia!
kibousha
Is this article written by a naive 15 year-old ?
In the real world, "policy" is for "show". So it can always say "we have strict policies on x, and we're always trying to improve it", and get away when it violate it's own "policy".
Take for example Amazon, "we value our workers, and we're always trying to improve their quality of life", while working them to death.
Policy, like politicians, to look good like being rotten inside.
Tokyo Guy
FIFA's "human rights policy" says that humans have the right to pay FIFA massive amounts of money and wine and dine (maybe not the wine part in Saudi Arabia) to host the world cup.
Raw Beer
Yes, but it is not limited to FIFA. The same applies to essentially all organizations.
starpunk
Like the IOC. Demonstrators in Tokyo kept saying 'No Olympic Games 2021' because the pandemic was still raging badly. The PM allowed them, the Olympics happened in Tokyo and many people got sick from Covid because of this. The PM had egg on his face and resigned in shame. We all know the rest.
bass4funk
What is with these musical line metaphors….
What?
And yet we went in despite the risk and warnings
You do know the U.S. in the past supported the apartheid system
And who was responsible for the Arab Spring uprising again?
And then what? We need them to help us contain Iran, they are the only ones in that region that can do that, there is a reason why both the Saudis and the Israelis are working together on this plus, we need their oil. The U.S. reliance on Saudi oil has historically been rooted in strategic, economic, and geopolitical factors, even though the U.S. has become more energy independent in recent years. Here are the main reasons why Saudi oil has been important to the U.S.:
1. Energy Security and Market Stability
Global Oil Market Influence: Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and has significant influence over global oil prices. By maintaining a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia, the U.S. helps ensure market stability, which benefits global economic stability.
Strategic Reserves: Even though the U.S. produces a significant amount of its own oil, it relies on imports to diversify supply sources and maintain strategic reserves. Saudi oil complements this strategy.
2. Economic Interdependence
Petrodollar System: Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia has agreed to price its oil exports in U.S. dollars. This arrangement strengthens the dollar’s position as the global reserve currency and benefits the U.S. economy.
Oil as a Global Commodity: Disruptions in Saudi oil production or exports can cause global oil price spikes, indirectly affecting the U.S. economy and its energy consumers.
3. Geopolitical Considerations
Middle East Stability: Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, and maintaining access to its oil resources supports broader U.S. strategic goals in the region.
Countering Rivals: Dependence on Saudi oil aligns with U.S. efforts to counterbalance the influence of other major oil-producing nations like Russia and Iran.
4. Energy Transition Period
While the U.S. is moving toward renewable energy, oil remains a crucial resource for transportation, manufacturing, and defense. Saudi Arabia’s vast reserves act as a global safety net during periods of supply shortages or crises.
We reduced our overall reliance on direct Saudi oil imports due to increased domestic production, the interconnected nature of global oil markets means that Saudi Arabia remains vital to ensuring energy security and economic stability worldwide and this is very, very important and although, I personally don’t like the Saudis particularly because of their direct involvement in 9/11, I do very much understand the significance of this alliance we have and need, killing off the Saudis, we might as well shoot ourselves in the head because that is what we would be doing essentially.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Saudi Arabia is less useful for US national security than Ukraine. We actually have a mutual defense treaty with paid up countries in Europe that Trump can't get out of.
bass4funk
If you live in an alternate reality earth universe probably
And it still won’t change or dislodge us from dealing with the Saudis, business and geopolitically.
TaiwanIsNotChina
No, I live in the world of people that don't cozy up to our enemies.
They cut no deals for the US on oil and never will.
bass4funk
Leave the emotion out of the argument, like if or not we need the Saudis, tick them off of alienate them, we will have all kinds of problems with the Iranians, tick the Saudis off and we’ll, I don’t need to remind you on what happened on 9/11 unless you really want to go to war with them, remember ISIS?
Doesn't matter we need them, I don’t like them, but to dismiss them is just nuts as well as suicidal.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Just the facts, ma'am.
We supply their military. A war with Saudi Arabia would be over in about two minutes. And the US defeated ISIS because of patriotic presidents like Obama and Biden.
bass4funk
Yes, they keep the Iranians in check.
That won’t happen because we will do business not to mention, the majority of Americans don’t want EV. So increased oil production and fracking will commence in a few weeks
Hmmm…
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/11/politics/us-scrambles-to-quell-isis-resurgence-syria/index.html
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, the government collapsed so someone had to slam the lid on ISIS again. It wasn't Saudi Arabia.
wallace
Next year, the American oil companies will cut back on the oil from the drill wells-too much oil.
bass4funk
But it happened on this administration list of continuous failures and disasters
They hold sway over ISIS, more reason to seek a middle ground.
After they cleaned house, they’ve gone back to doing what they were created to do and that’s telling the news.
What are you talking about?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2024/11/06/how-trumps-victory-will-impact-the-energy-sector/
https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2024/11/09/after-trump-win-major-alaska-oil-and-mining-projects-should-be-back-on-the-table/
Moderator
Back on topic please. Posts that do not refer to FIFA will be removed.
bass4funk
So basically given the circumstances and where we stand, the Saudis should get and host FIFA and be allowed to compete, doesn’t excuse their past and current aggressions and human rights violations but we need to deal with reality and the Saudis are not going anywhere, we need them for good or bad, maybe they can make something positive about the games, maybe they can finally open the country up to Westerners, this is a huge opportunity for them to make a case to the world, as a soccer fanatic myself, I probably might go.
wallace
All true footie fans should simply reject Saudi and football isn't played and watched in hot desert countries. Look at the problem in Qutar. Not enough fan toilets.
Saudi is trying to buy up all the top sports like golf, tennis, and football.
bass4funk
There are many that love and watch the sport
Qutar isn’t Saudi Arabia
virusrex
Definitely not to the same degree, many organizations have very good reputations, the FIFA have not since many years ago, it is as bas as the International Olympic Committee
Zaphod
Politics should have no place in sports, but it inevitably creeps into every organization.
wallace
Politics are a part of FIFA. Human Rights Policy. Anti-racism Policy.
virusrex
Politics are inseparable from sports, at least for all international organizations.