Soccer

Fifa is ‘ignoring human rights report’ into Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid

Lawyers say Fifa is ‘dealing with the devil’ with Saudi bid

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (second left) with Fifa president Gianni Infantino (second right) ahead of the heavyweight boxing rematch for the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF titles between Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk and Britain's Anthony Joshua in Jeddah in August 2022. Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images
Paul MacInnes
Fri Oct 11 2024 - 16:18

A group of leading legal figures say Fifa has ignored their report on human rights concerns over the 2034 World Cup, warning that the governing body is “dealing with the devil” in planning to take the tournament to Saudi Arabia.

A decision on the Saudi bid to host the World Cup is to be made in December, although it appears to be a foregone conclusion given there are no other bidders. The lawyers – Prof Mark Pieth, Stefan Wehrenberg and Rodney Dixon KC – submitted a report to Fifa in May pointing out areas in which the Saudi state breached the human rights policies of world football’s governing body.

Dixon, who represents the widow of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, Hatice Cengiz, said Fifa had failed to respond to the report. “We are calling on Fifa, with its proud history of taking a stance in favour of human rights, to do exactly that right now and it is simply not good enough to not respond at all to our report,” he said. “There has to be a consultation. Things have to change if Saudi is going to be considered for the World Cup. We can’t have vague recommendations or straw man scenarios.”

Pieth was formerly the chair of FIFA’s independent governance committee, which was introduced after the exposure of widespread corruption in the organisation after the successful Russian and Qatari bids to host the World Cup. The committee delivered governance changes that helped president Gianni Infantino, in 2020, to declare “the new Fifa ... a credible, accountable, modern, professional and transparent organisation”.

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Pieth said that going to Saudi Arabia was a “big risk” for Fifa. “My understanding is that Saudi Arabia is quite a bit nervous [about public criticism] and they are dangerous,” he said. “That’s my take. I’m not shy to say it in public. People are really dealing with the devil here. So there is a big risk.”

The authors of the report say they are taking a “staged” approach to engagement with Fifa, and are not ruling out legal action should Fifa fail to respond. Article 7 of the governing body’s human rights policy says “Fifa will constructively engage with the relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities”.

“We are not alone in calling for an honest, proper review,” Dixon said. “Fifa does have teeth. In the past it has taken dramatic steps, and banned countries including Russia and Indonesia. They have had a huge impact on changing perceptions. We say this is another watershed moment.”

The report focuses on four areas. First, Saudi Arabia “must immediately release all political prisoners and those who are arbitrarily detained” and treat all prisoners in accordance with human rights standards. Second, “the judiciary in Saudi Arabia must be appointed independently by a body not connected to the executive” and must be permitted to carry out its work without external influence. Third, employment law must be changed to allow migrant workers to leave jobs or the country without having to apply for government permission. Finally, Saudi Arabia must improve women’s rights by “criminalising marital rape, ensuring adequate protection from domestic violence, and allowing women to be the legal guardian for their child” if it is in the child’s best interests.

A Fifa spokesperson said it was implementing “thorough bidding processes” for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. “All relevant reports, including the independent human rights context assessments and the human rights strategies of all bidders for the 2030 and 2034 editions, are available on our website. The bid evaluation reports for the 2030 and 2034 Fifa World Cup will be published ahead of the Extraordinary Fifa Congress on 11 December 2024.” – Guardian