Human rights groups condemn FIFA's pick of Saudi Arabia for 2034 World Cup

The Manila Times

Human rights groups condemn FIFA's pick of Saudi Arabia for 2034 World Cup  Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International representatives condemn FIFA's decision to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup. 'The bidding process has exposed FIFA's stated commitment to human rights as an absolute and utter sham,' says Joey Shea, Human Rights Watch's researcher on Saudi Arabia, denouncing the country's human rights record.   AFP VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net   Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #worldnews  #fifa  #saudiarabia

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00:00However, the bidding process has exposed FIFA's stated commitment to human rights as an absolute

00:07and utter sham.

00:09Over the next decade, Human Rights Watch will be working in close coalition with other human

00:14rights organizations, Saudi activists, migrant workers organizations, to monitor the situation

00:20on the ground and to push for accountability for those who seek to profit off of egregious

00:27violations.

00:28Saudi Arabia and FIFA respectively are both very wealthy countries and FIFA is a very

00:33wealthy institution.

00:35So it is possible for these workers to be adequately compensated, adequately protected,

00:41and for there to be a fantastic World Cup in Saudi Arabia that is not marred by abuses.

00:46However, given what we've seen in the lead up to Saudi Arabia being awarded the World

00:51Cup, I have serious doubts that both of these institutions will be able to do what they

00:57need to do to make sure that, first and foremost, as civil society, we're going to be monitoring

01:01and documenting the situation on the ground.

01:042034 will require an immense amount of construction, 11 stadiums will need to be erected from scratch.

01:12At least four more are due to be refurbished.

01:15So there will be an immense amount of labor necessary for the 2034 World Cup.

01:21We think this is a really dangerous decision by FIFA.

01:24It's a decision they took while ignoring its own human rights requirements because

01:29there are massive risks to hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia.

01:32There are huge risks to migrant workers who risk exploitation, even death, working in

01:38the hot conditions.

01:40Risks to residents in Saudi Arabia who may be displaced from their homes to make way

01:45for huge infrastructure projects.

01:48I think FIFA essentially made its decision that Saudi Arabia would host the World Cup

01:54a little more than a year ago.

01:55This has been a predetermined process.

01:58FIFA has engineered the process to make sure there was only ever one bid.

02:02It has dropped its human rights requirements essentially in practice during that time and

02:08put them aside.

02:09It declared that Saudi Arabia was only a medium risk for human rights, where in fact we know

02:14that these tournaments are so vast and so expensive now to do that often it is only

02:20countries with a lack of accountability and with vast amounts of resources they can use

02:26who are able to afford to host a World Cup by itself.

02:31So yes, I think this would be a continuing trend and that is a big risk for football.

02:37It's a risk for human rights.

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