London, United Kingdom (AFP) – Human rights organizations called for “binding measures” after Australia’s withdrawal from the race left Saudi Arabia free to host the 2034 World Cup.
First modification: Last modification:
2 min
The Saudi candidacy also has the support of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
FIFA had opened a deadline for the presentation of candidatures aimed at Asia and Oceania to host the 2034 World Cup, after it was announced that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 event, which will also feature three matches in South America. [Uruguay, Argentina y Paraguay].
The withdrawal of Australia’s candidacy leaves Saudi Arabia as the only candidate to host a tournament that would represent a new step forward in the kingdom’s project of becoming a world sporting power. These plans worry organizations fighting for Human Rights.
The Sports and Rights Alliance, a coalition of organizations that include human rights defense groups and anti-corruption structures, declared this Tuesday that the absence of competition in the organization of the 2034 World Cup puts the popularity of the FIFA event at risk.
This coalition affirmed that it was vital for FIFA to approve and maintain binding actions in order to guarantee Human Rights by the candidate countries to host the World Cup.
FIFA must now make clear what it expects from the hosts in terms of respect for human rights, said Steve Cockburn, head of economics and social justice at Amnesty International.
“They must also be prepared to suspend candidacies if there are important risks against Human Rights that have not been taken into account,” he estimated.
Qatar, a neighboring country of Saudi Arabia that hosted the first soccer World Cup in the Middle East in 2022, received strong criticism from groups and associations, which especially pointed out the treatment of foreign workers in the emirate.
“The best way for FIFA to guarantee workers’ rights and ensure freedom of expression is to prevent potential discrimination during the selection process, not after candidates have been confirmed and preparation has begun,” Cockburn noted.
The director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden, announced that “taking into account the scope of the World Cup, all bids for this tournament carry risks and also opportunities that should not be missed.”
“The Human Rights policy at FIFA should not be reduced to a written exercise, especially when it comes to the most followed sporting event in the world,” he stated.
AFP
#World #Cup #Saudi #Arabia #worries #human #rights #groups