International soccer governing body FIFA on Wednesday confirmed the venues for the next two World Cups, naming Spain, Portugal and Morocco as co-hosts for the 2030 tournament, with matches played in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. FIFA also announced Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2034 World Cup.
The consideration and now the announcement of Saudi Arabia as a host has prompted a backlash from rights groups due to the country's human rights record.
Harold Cunningham – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
“FIFA is willfully blind to the country's human rights record, setting the stage for a decade of potential human rights abuses in preparation for the 2034 World Cup,” Minky Worden, director of global campaigns at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement in November.
Saudi Arabia's human rights record
Rights groups show evidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, has presided over several documented cases of torture, mass executions and forced disappearances. Domestic criticism of the state, even on social media, has been met with imprisonment and torture.
The CIA concluded with “high confidence” that MBS had personally ordered the 2018 assassination and takedown of a Washington Post columnist. Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi diplomatic office in Turkey.
Recently the kingdom has made huge investments in the world sport, drag allegations of “washing sport” – the use of athletes and games to fight repression and authoritarian rule by “washing” the image of a country.
Worry about the 2034 World Cup
According to Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia's host documents show that they plan to prepare extensive construction work for the World Cup, including 11 new and renovated stadiums, more than 185,000 new hotel rooms and expansion of other infrastructure including airports and roads.
“Saudi Arabia's massive infrastructure deficit will be entirely dependent on the migrant workers who build it,” Human Rights Watch said in a report, adding that an independent analysis commissioned by the Federation Saudi Arabia football as part of their FIFA bid” very inappropriate. “
Human Rights Watch, along with 10 other rights and labor groups including Amnesty International and Football Supporters Europe, wrote to the law firm that produced the report for the Saudi federation to express their concerns. Human Rights Watch said there was no meaningful response from the company.
“Not a single migrant worker, victim of human rights crimes, survivor of torture, imprisoned women's rights advocate, or member of Saudi civil society was consulted for FIFA's independent report,” Worden said. “FIFA's handling of the Saudi claim is a serious failure to implement mandatory risk assessments and human rights protections for millions of workers migration that is going to make the 2034 World Cup possible.”
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