2023-06-21 23:14:46
A global coalition of human rights groups, unions, players and fans is calling on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to ensure that human rights are a key consideration in deciding which countries will host the 2030 men’s football world cup.
With the bidding process set to begin soon, the Sport & Rights Alliance is calling on FIFA to ensure that the bid evaluation process reflects the results of an opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International and conducted in 15 countries, which showed that a majority of the public, 53%, believe that human rights should be a crucial consideration in choosing the countries that host major international sporting events.
Steve Cockburn, Director of the Economic and Social Justice Program at Amnesty International, said: “It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority, so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game it loves and never gives rise to exploitation, repression or discrimination.
It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority, so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game they love and never gives rise to exploitation, repression or discrimination.
Steve Cockburn, Director of the Economic and Social Justice Program at Amnesty International
“FIFA must rigorously apply the highest human rights standards when evaluating bids to host its flagship competition, require clear human rights action plans and reject any bid that does not does not credibly establish how serious human rights risks will be avoided, independently monitored, or remedied in the event of abuse. »
FIFA has introduced human rights criteria for the first time as part of the 2026 World Cup tender, following controversies over the award process for the 2018 and 2022 competitions in Russia and Qatar respectively. It is likely that these criteria will be included again, but there are fears that they will be overlooked or ignored by FIFA in choosing the hosts of the 2030 World Cup.
Despite introducing its human rights guidelines and bidding criteria in 2017, FIFA did not carry out adequate human rights risk assessments when awarding other competitions. For example, since 2017, the Club World Cup has been awarded to China, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Saudi Arabia without a transparent process or consultation with civil society. Widespread human rights abuses have also been seen in relation to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, although FIFA in 2020 developed a “sustainability strategy” that included human rights commitments. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have still not been compensated for the abuses they suffered during the preparation and holding of this competition.
The call comes as Amnesty International released the results of a YouGov opinion poll, which shows that a majority of people (53%) in 15 countries believe that human rights, including workers’ rights , freedom of the press and non-discrimination, should be a key consideration when selecting the host for a major sporting event.
Joint bids to host the 2030 Men’s World Cup are expected, including one from Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Ukraine, and another from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and from Uruguay. Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing a joint bid with Greece for 2030 or 2034, and Egypt has been mooted as a possible partner.
The survey showed that after safety and security (57%), human rights was the criteria most often chosen to determine competition hosts (53%). This is the most important criterion in seven of the countries surveyed, and the most important in Switzerland (68%), where FIFA is headquartered. More than four times as many people, or 53%, chose human rights as the main factor in determining hosts, compared to commercial revenue for sports bodies (13%).
Poll results clearly show the importance fans place on human rights in choosing hosts for major sporting events – far more than politics or profits
Ronan Evain, Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe
Ronan Evain, Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe, said: “The survey results clearly show the importance that supporters place on human rights in choosing hosts for major sporting events – much more than politics or profits. . We, football fans, want binding guarantees not only on respect for the rights of all, but also on the guarantee of decent conditions for workers, the possibility for journalists to report freely and the possibility for defenders. e·s human rights to express themselves without fear. »
Andrea Florence, Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, said: “Since 2017, FIFA has made significant progress in recognizing its human rights responsibilities. However, human rights assessments and considerations have not been consistently applied when awarding FIFA competitions. In order to demonstrate that it takes its own guidelines and statutes seriously, it is crucial that FIFA puts human rights first when choosing the host of the 2030 Men’s World Cup.”
In order to demonstrate that it takes its own guidelines and statutes seriously, it is crucial that FIFA puts human rights first when choosing the host of the 2030 Men’s World Cup.
Andrea Florence, Director of the Sport & Rights Alliance
Background and survey
The survey was conducted among some 17,500 adults in 15 countries. Last year, YouGov asked them to choose from a list of ten factors they said should be “primary considerations” when selecting the host for an international sporting event, such as the Men’s World Cup. FIFA or the Olympics. Respondents could choose more than one answer. The survey was conducted in the following countries: Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, United States, Finland, France, Kenya, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Switzerland.
The results were, in order: Safety of fans, athletes and volunteers (57%), Human rights, including workers’ rights, freedom of the press and non-discrimination (53%), Quality of infrastructure such as stadiums, transport and hotels (48%), Transparency and anti-corruption measures (43%), Environmental preservation and climate change (37%), Potential economic benefits for the country of hospitality (28%), Cultural and tourism opportunities for supporters visiting the host country (28%), Experience of successfully organizing major sporting events (25%), Sporting heritage for the host country such as development national sport (24%), Potential commercial revenue for the sports organization such as FIFA or the International Olympic Committee (13%), Don’t know (12%), and None of the above (4%).
FIFA’s Statutes (Article 3) and its Human Rights Policy (Articles 7 and 10) require world football’s governing body to “respect” and “strive to promote” human rights. human rights, identify and address any adverse human rights impact of its activities, and engage constructively with relevant authorities and other stakeholders in its efforts to fulfill these responsibilities.
As part of its Human Rights Policy, FIFA is also committed to respecting human rights, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. According to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, all companies should conduct human rights due diligence in all aspects of their business. If it is impossible to prevent certain serious threats to human rights, the company must take the necessary measures to reverse or prevent these impacts.
The final choice of host for the 2030 Men’s World Cup is expected to be decided by a vote involving all football associations at the FIFA Annual Congress in 2024. In 2018, FIFA selected Canada, Mexico and the United States to jointly host the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
Sport & Rights Alliance members include Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World), Confederation Trade Union International (ITUC), the Army of Survivors, Transparency International and the World Players Association.
All figures unless otherwise stated are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size: 17,477 adults. The survey was conducted between August 16 and September 6, 2022. This survey was conducted online. Figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults (those over the age of 18) in the countries included in this survey.
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