FIFA is cautioned by Amnesty International about the "real and predictable human cost" of giving Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup.
Amnesty International and the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) issued a brief on Monday that highlighted alleged problems with Saudi Arabia's bid for 2034. A "credible human rights strategy" for the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Portugal, and Morocco are co-hosting, was also demanded in the brief.
Next month, FIFA, the world governing body of football, will announce the host countries for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. The bid for both tournaments is the same.
FIFA stipulates that nations must adhere to "internationally recognised human rights" as part of the bidding process, however according to the most recent assessment from Amnesty International, "neither bid has adequately demonstrated how they have met FIFA's human rights criteria."
"Although a more credible human rights strategy is needed for the 2030 tournament, FIFA should halt the bidding process for the 2034 tournament until significant reforms are introduced due to the serious risks in Saudi Arabia," it continued.
FIFA will release the "bid evaluation reports" for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups prior to a congress on December 11, the organisation stated in a statement .
"As with the selection of hosts for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 in Brazil," a FIFA spokesperson said, "FIFA is implementing thorough bidding processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup."
Saudi Arabia has made bold plans for the 2034 World Cup after investing in a number of athletic events.
According to the most recent assessment from Amnesty International, the nation has committed to massive infrastructure projects, including building or upgrading 11 stadiums, 185,000 additional hotel rooms, transportation connections to new cities, and other big projects and improvements.
Saudi Arabia "championed a human rights approach, leveraging the expertise from across the Kingdom and beyond," according to the bid's official website for 2034.
Additionally, it stated that it will "bring opportunity and responsibility to uphold human rights throughout this journey and beyond" by using the competition.
The plans will "require a vast number of migrant workers to deliver," according to Steve Cockburn, Head of Labour Rights and Sport at Amnesty International, and "there are no commitments to reform the country's exploitative 'Kafala' sponsorship system, establish a minimum wage for non-citizens, permit them to join trade unions, or introduce new measures to prevent worker deaths."
"A lot of people will die."
A sponsorship system known as "Kafala" binds migrant labourers to a particular employer. Human Rights Watch claims that workers are "at risk of widespread abuse, such as contract substitution, excessive recruitment fees, non-payment of wages, employer-initiated passport confiscation, and forced labour."
Human Rights Watch claims that employers "still hold disproportionate control over workers" in spite of the improvements Saudi Arabia has undertaken in recent years.
"Awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform will have a real and predictable human cost," Cockburn continued.
Numerous people will perish, migrant labourers will be exploited, locals will be forcibly evicted, and fans will experience discrimination. In order to prevent making an already grave situation worse, FIFA must stop the process until adequate human rights protections are in place.
Amnesty International asserts that the bid's approach ignores discrimination against women and the criminalisation of same-sex relationships, and that the new projects will also lead to forced evictions.
Despite the kingdom's declaration last year that it welcomes LGBTQ tourism, homosexuality is formally prohibited in Saudi Arabia.
Cockburn stated, "The government's harsh suppression of free speech and the ongoing incarceration of people who have been sentenced to decades in prison simply for their expression are not addressed in Saudi Arabia's human rights strategy, suggesting that there is no serious commitment to reform."
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied claims of "sportswashing," a practice whereby nations use major athletic events to promote a positive image of their country abroad, frequently in an effort to divert attention from suspected misconduct.
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, has previously stated that he doesn't "care" if the nation's investments are characterised as sportswashing.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia's sports minister, told BBC Sport last year that accusations of sportswashing against the nation were "very shallow" and downplayed criticism of migrant workers' rights in the run-up to 2034.
Concerns over the 2030 World Cup are also covered in the new research.
Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina will host the first three matches of the tournament, which Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host.
The "excessive use of police force against crowds" and the "improper use of rubber bullets" in all three host nations, along with limitations on freedom of expression, are just a couple of the human rights concerns that organisers must deal with, according to a June report published by Amnesty International and SRA.
The scope of the projects included in the offer, which included a new stadium with 115,000 seats west of Casablanca, also raised concerns about the potential for "forced evictions" in Morocco.
Regarding potential evictions, it has made an effort to get in touch with the Moroccan authorities for comment.
"Morocco, Portugal, and Spain need to be much more mindful of their human rights obligations," Cockburn stated.
"Only if governments and football associations are willing to collaborate closely with supporters, human rights organisations, trade unions, and other affected groups will the 2030 World Cup present a chance to improve human rights protections in all three countries."
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) told that the bidding process was carried out "in close coordination with the respective governments and other competent authorities" and was "based on strict compliance with all the principles and public requirements already announced by FIFA."
In addition, the FPF stated that the joint bid "has already prepared a study which will be attached to the final dossier and which frames and signals the main concerns and recommendations in terms of human rights for this project."
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