FIFA was urged by international lawyers Wednesday to uphold its own policy and scrutinise Saudi Arabia’s human rights record before picking the kingdom to host the men’s 2034 World Cup.
A 22-page document was delivered to FIFA headquarters in Zurich on behalf of Mark Pieth and Stefan Wehrenberg of Switzerland and British barrister Rodney Dixon. They offered to work with FIFA on an action plan and monitoring of Saudi Arabia by independent experts.
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Their paper calls on FIFA to use its leverage now with Saudi Arabia to comply with international human rights standards that the world football body’s own policy since 2017 has required of tournament hosts.
“It is obvious that Saudi Arabia falls very far short of those requirements,” the document said. “Given this, as matters currently stand, FIFA simply cannot properly permit it to host the 2034 World Cup.”
They cite Saudi Arabia’s record on freedom of expression and assembly, treatment of prisoners and migrant workers, and male guardianship laws that limit personal freedoms for women.
