FIFA Under Fire For Awarding 2034 World Cup To Anti-Gay Saudi Arabia
Image: Sources: FIFA & Wikimedia Commons
FIFA has been heavily scrutinised by human rights organisations and LGBTQI+ football fans alike following their decision to host the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, a country notorious for its anti-gay laws.
The move has been sharply criticised by human rights organisations, with a joint statement by 21 organisations shared on Amnesty International鈥檚 website calling FIFA鈥檚 human rights policies a sham. The selection of Saudi Arabia was also criticised as they were effectively made the only country left to bid, despite .听
The statement reads: 鈥淔IFA has long accepted that it has a clear responsibility, in line with international human rights standards, to prevent and mitigate human rights violations and abuses connected to its activities, as well as to provide remedy for those to which it has contributed. By pursuing today鈥檚 decision regardless of the known risks, FIFA will bear a heavy responsibility for much of what follows.鈥�
In Saudi Arabia, homosexual activity can be punished with the death penalty and laws forbidding 鈥榗rossdressing鈥� completely outlaws trans identities, too. The country鈥檚 general human rights track record is also extremely poor, with a history of poor women鈥檚 rights, migrant exploitation and suppression of individual expression.听
The decision is sure to spark controversy similar to that of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a country where LGBTQI+ people are also oppressed. In that period, queer rights activist Peter Tatchell was arrested for protesting Qatar鈥檚 draconian law, and calls came from gay players like Josh Cavallo for FIFA to reconsider allowing World Cups to take place in countries with poor rights records.听
Despite the 2023 Women鈥檚 World Cup in Australia featuring a staggering amount of gay players in the tournament, FIFA has continuously refused to allow LGBTQI+ expression at their tournaments.听
Ahead of last year鈥檚 WWC, the organisation banned players from wearing rainbow pride armbands, and in 2022 a Socceroos fan attending a World Cup game in Qatar was denied entry after a rainbow flag was found in their bag.听
Despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino鈥檚 suggestion that the 2034 World Cup could be a 鈥渦nique catalyst for positive social change and unity,鈥� such sentiment rings hollow when the 2022 World Cup .
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