FIFA urged to halt Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup vote

FIFA has been urged to halt a vote to hand Saudi Arabia hosting rights to the 2034 men's World Cup by human rights groups, amid fears many migrant workers will die unless there is credible reform.

National associations are set to vote at an extraordinary FIFA Congress on 11 December, with Saudi Arabia the sole bidder.

Amnesty International and the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) say as things stand, a tournament in Saudi Arabia will lead to severe and widespread rights violations.

They have urged national federations to also call on FIFA to halt the vote.

"There will be a real and predictable human cost to awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform," Steve Cockburn, Amnesty’s head of labour rights and sport, said.

"Fans will face discrimination, residents will be forcibly evicted, migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die.

"Saudi Arabia will require a vast number of migrant workers to deliver its World Cup ambitions, yet there are no commitments to reform the country’s exploitative 'kafala’ sponsorship system, establish a minimum wage for non-citizens, permit them to join trade unions or introduce new measures to prevent worker deaths.

"Saudi Arabia’s human rights strategy does not address the government’s severe repression of free speech and the continued imprisonment of individuals who have been sentenced to decades in prison merely for their expression, suggesting that there is no serious commitment to reform.

"FIFA must halt the process until proper human rights protections are in place to avoid worsening an already dire situation."

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