Leading attorneys have filed a formal complaint against FIFA, claiming the organization has violated its own human rights regulations for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. The 30-page complaint, which demands prompt action in five areas, was submitted through FIFA’s formal grievance procedure.
The Swiss lawyer Stefan Wehrenberg, the British barrister Rodney Dixon, and FIFAa’s former anti-corruption adviser Mark Pieth wrote the lawsuit. A year ago, they sent a dossier to Fifa alerting them to the dangers of giving the tournament to the Gulf state.
Prior to Saudi Arabia being unanimously chosen as the 2034 host without a competing candidacy, their offers to counsel FIFA on human rights compliance were turned down.
What does the complaint say?
The complaint claims that the bidding process “failed to ensure that human rights standards were met” and states: “FIFAa is now required by its own policy to ensure that internationally recognized human rights are upheld in Saudi Arabia as a result of its approval of Saudi Arabia as the next host country.”
As of right now, there is no evidence that FIFA has taken such measures, much less plans to do so. These flaws are brought to light by this complaint so they may be immediately corrected. The five categories mentioned are women’s rights, judicial independence, migrant rights, arbitrary arrests, abuse and the death penalty, and freedom of expression and association.
“FIFA must develop a concrete and transparent action plan in collaboration with the Saudi authorities, rather than relying on the host state to act unilaterally,”
the complaint says.
“This plan must incorporate minimum requirements … ensure their immediate implementation and establish robust mechanisms for ongoing monitoring. To date, no such steps have been initiated by FIFA.”
FIFA was criticized and pressured to take action this week due to the way migrant workers are treated in Saudi Arabia. The hazards that individuals working on the massive construction projects commissioned by the Saudi authorities under the leadership of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, experienced were brought to light in reports by Human Rights Watch and FairSquare.
The findings criticized the lack of openness around migrant worker deaths and stated that workers still faced serious threats to their lives.
How did FIFA respond?
“FIFA seeks to play its part in ensuring strong protections for workers employed by third parties in the construction of FIFA World Cup sites,”
the organization declared in a letter to Human Rights Watch.
“We are certain that the actions taken can establish a new benchmark for worker protection, and this effort entails close cooperation with its Saudi counterparts and interactions with pertinent international labor organizations.”