Saudi Arabia’s suitability to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup was called into question after reports emerged of the country’s intentions in 2023.
Similar to complaints against Qatar, before and during the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia has often been accused of human rights abuses by human rights groups around the world, particularly Amnesty International.
Many of these concerns include the treatment of migrant workers, women, and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.
Fifa, in its evaluation reports, graded Saudi’s bid as the strongest to have ever been made by a potential World Cup host. To the fury of campaigners, they only graded the country’s human rights as a medium risk.
“As expected, FIFA’s evaluation of Saudi Arabia’s World Cup bid is an astonishing whitewash of the country’s atrocious human rights record,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of labour rights and sport.
“By ignoring the clear evidence of severe human-rights risks, FIFA is likely to bear much responsibility for the violations and abuses that will take place over the coming decade.
“Fundamental human-rights reforms are urgently required in Saudi Arabia, or the 2034 World Cup will be inevitably tarnished by exploitation, discrimination and repression,” Cockburn added.
