In a month’s time, on December 11, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) must meet in an extraordinary congress with a view to deciding the award of the venue for the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups. The joint of Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the first time; from Saudi Arabia for the second.
After the controversies arising from the choice of Russia and then Qatar as host countries for the 2018 and 2022 editions of the contest, the organization introduced criteria related to human rights in its selection process: respect for the right to work and the freedom. of expression, including the fight against discrimination… These criteria are intended to be “fully binding obligations”FIFA reaffirmed in October 2023.
But for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Amnesty International and Sport & Rights Alliance, the score is not there yet: “no bid sufficiently explains how the host countries will meet the standards (…) set by FIFA in its bid regulations”They insist in a press release published on Monday, November 11.
Therefore they request the authority “condition attribution” from the 2030 World Cup to the Spain-Morocco-Portugal trio “the development of a much more credible strategy in terms of fundamental rights” and urge him to interrupt the process regarding Saudi Arabia “unless major human rights reforms are announced before the vote”.
“Assume the responsibility”
In the case of the Gulf kingdom, the risks are described as “triple” by the two organizations, periodically accusing the country of the severe repression exercised by the government, particularly against freedom of expression.
warn about the “real and predictable human cost” to hold the event in the country: fans discriminated against, residents forcibly evicted, workers exploited as Saudi Arabia’s bid dossier outlines ambitious plans to build or renovate eleven stadiums, more than 185,000 additional hotel rooms and major infrastructure projects that They range from transport connections to new cities.
For Spain, Portugal and Morocco, NGOs warn, among other things, against the reduction of affordable housing available to residents of host cities in the first two countries, and against the risks of forced evictions in the third. It is also raised in the case of Morocco, “legislation that criminalizes sexual relations between people of the same sex as well as extramarital relations”.
“Morocco, Portugal and Spain must take their human rights responsibilities much more seriously.”estimates Steve Cockburn, director of the “Labor Law and Sport” program at Amnesty International. The 2030 World Cup offers an opportunity to strengthen rights protections in these three countries, provided governments and football associations are prepared to work closely with fans, human rights organisations, unions and other groups. relevant. »
