GENEVA (AP) — Two United States senators urged FIFA on Monday not to pick Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host next month in a decision seen as inevitable since last year despite the kingdom’s record on human rights.

Democrats Ron Wyden of Oregon and Dick Durbin of Illinois have told FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a letter “we urge you to seek out a host country with a record of upholding human rights.”

Saudi Arabia has been the only candidate for 2034 since FIFA unexpectedly opened a fast-track nomination process in October last year.

The contest seemed designed by FIFA for the Saudi bid to win, despite needing to build most of the 15 stadiums needed that risks repeating labor rights issues seen in Qatar over a decade of intense scrutiny before the 2022 World Cup.

On Dec. 11, at an online meeting, more than 200 FIFA member federations are expected to jointly endorse by acclamation the Saudi bid plus the only candidate for the 2030 edition. That is a co-hosting plan by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with single games going to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

“Approving Saudi Arabia’s bid this December endangers workers, athletes, tourists, and members of the press, and it runs counter to FIFA’s own human rights policies,” Wyden and Durbin wrote in a letter seen by The Associated Press.

“The kingdom continues to torture dissidents, engage in extrajudicial killings, discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, oppress women and religious minorities, exploit and abuse foreign workers, and restrict almost all political rights and civil liberties,” the letter claimed.

Those concerns were aired by United Nations members at the Human Rights Council in January when Saudi Arabia’s track record was examined.

At that session in Geneva, Saudi government officials pointed to dozens of reforms in favor of women and a wider modernizing of its society under the Vision 2030 program pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

We Need Your Support

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can’t do it without you.

You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

FIFA’s Infantino has worked to build close ties to the crown prince over several years. The soccer body’s World Cup sponsor deal in April with Saudi state oil firm Aramco signaled a deeper financial relationship ahead of the 2026 edition being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA bid rules for World Cup candidates require an assessment of human rights risks for the tournament, but the analysis by law firm Clifford Chance published in July was criticized by NGOs and activists for lacking independence.

That report committed Saudi Arabia to working with the UN-backed International Labor Organization but not global rights experts who have limited access to enter the country to work.

“More concerningly,” the senators wrote, “the Saudis have failed to address how they will uphold labor protections, press freedoms, non-discrimination and inclusion standards.

“We strongly urge FIFA to take all steps necessary to thoroughly re-evaluate Saudi Arabia’s ill-equipped World Cup bid ahead of December and select a rights-respecting host country.”

source

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

American Judith Weinstein Believed To Be Killed During Hamas Attack

An elderly American teacher originally thought to have been captured alive by…

Driving Saudi Arabia’s Tech Evolution: Open Source Summit 2024

The “Open Source Summit 2024” is an annual conference organized by the…

Israel Reaches Deal With Hamas On Release Of Some Hostages, Temporary Cease-Fire

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement enabling the release of some hostages…

Temporary Cease-Fire In Gaza And Hostage Release To Start Friday, Qatar Says

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between…