Soccer - Saudi Arabia's human rights record under fire after World Cup bid win

RIYADH: Rights organisations strongly criticised FIFA on Wednesday after world soccer's ruling body officially awarded the 2034 men's World Cup to Saudi Arabia.

Hosting the global showpiece tournament is the pinnacle of Saudi Arabia's massive push into sports and entertainment over recent years as it seeks to improve its international image.

"FIFA's reckless decision... will put many lives at risk," Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Labour Rights and Sport, said in a statement issued by 21 bodies.

They included Saudi diaspora human rights organisations, migrant workers' groups from Nepal and Kenya, international trade unions, fans' representatives and global human rights organisations.

"FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless," the statement added.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sport, revamping its domestic soccer league by signing global superstars such as Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil's Neymar.

The kingdom's Public Investment fund (PIF) acquired English Premier League club Newcastle United and founded the LIV Golf tour, challenging the US-based PGA Tour's dominance.

Saudi Arabia this year hosted the season-ending tennis WTA Finals for the first time.

It has also invested in sports such as boxing as it continues its metamorphosis into a tourism hub as part of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's Vision 2030 economic transformation program.

FIFA gave the bid a high technical score, a move Amnesty called an "astonishing whitewash" of the country's human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has banned labour unions, does not have a minimum wage for migrant workers, and enforces the "kafala" system of foreign labourer sponsorship.

Kafala binds migrant workers to one employer and prevents them from leaving the kingdom without the employer's approval. Rights groups say it leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation.

Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.

The Saudi government communications office, the country's football association and FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The head of the Saudi World Cup bid unit told Reuters last week that the kingdom had launched several initiatives to safeguard workers' rights as part of Vision 2030.

"Now employees have the freedom of choice to move from one employer to the other," Hammad Albalawi said.

"A month and a half ago, the government announced a new insurance policy, meaning that if any company goes into bankruptcy, the government can step in and ensure workers are paid their dues."

There were 13.4 million expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia in 2022, the last time a census was conducted, accounting for 42% of the population.

EXTREME HEAT

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre said one stadium under construction for the tournament had been linked to alleged exploitative labour of 10-hour shifts in extreme heat.

"FIFA, its sponsors, and multinational companies... have a legal and ethical responsibility to respect human rights," said Phil Bloomer, BHRRC Executive Director.

FIFA came under similar criticism from rights groups for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

An Amnesty report in 2021 said practices such as withholding salaries and charging workers to change jobs were rife in the 2022 World Cup host nation.

Qatari authorities said the criticism was unfair and misinformed, pointing to labour law reforms enacted since 2018 and accusing critics of racism and double standards.

Asked on Wednesday what lessons the Saudi bid team had learned from Qatar, the kingdom's sports minister Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal told Reuters that tournament had given them "a good insight on what needs to be done properly".

"I think controversy will happen in anything you do and we've learned a lot from their experience," he said.

FIFA also confirmed on Wednesday that the 2030 World Cup would be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

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