Saudi Arabia has been announced as the lone bidder for the 2034 men's World Cup, sparking questions about FIFA's capacity to meet its human rights obligations.
After Australia chose not to bid despite having been offered a 25-day window to show interest by FIFA when the deadline was suddenly pushed forward to 4pm GMT on Tuesday, the potential of a second World Cup in the Gulf within 12 years is all but a certainty. However, the lack of a competitive tender and the speed with which the procedure was carried out have alarmed human rights organizations. Amnesty International demanded that FIFA suspend the tournament if human rights pledges were not met.
"Human rights commitments must be agreed with potential hosts before final decisions on holding the tournaments are made," Amnesty's head of economic and social justice, Steve Cockburn, said. "FIFA must now specify how it expects hosts to adhere to its human rights policies." It must also be willing to terminate the bidding process if major human rights concerns are not addressed credibly.
"The best chance for FIFA to obtain binding guarantees to protect workers' rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination linked to the World Cup is during the host selection process - not after the hosts have been confirmed and tournament preparation has begun."
FIFA wants any host of the 2030- and 2034-men's World Cup finals events to adhere to the conditions of the United Nations' Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. That would call for "human rights and labor standards to be implemented by the bidding member associations, the government(s) and other entities involved in the organization of the competitions, such as those responsible for the construction and renovation of stadiums, training sites, hotels and airports".
As a preliminary step, each nation wishing to host a World Cup must include in its bid human rights risks that might prohibit it from satisfying UN rules. Following that, FIFA pledges to "constructively engage with relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities".
The Sports and Rights Alliance, a coalition of human rights organizations, claims that the lack of a competitive procedure has given FIFA less authority to compel required reform. Human Rights Watch's Minky Worden, head of global programs, encouraged Fifa to be strict in enforcing its stated standards.
"FIFA's human rights policy must not be reduced to a paper exercise when it comes to choosing the host of the world's most watched sporting event," she added in a statement. "Given the enormous scale of the World Cup, there are far-reaching human rights risks to consider with all bids to host this tournament - as well as opportunities for change that should not be missed."
Saudi Arabia has until July 2024 to complete its candidacy. Fifa expects to release their evaluations by the end of next year, ahead of a confirming vote at its Congress. With Fifa failing to get enforceable human rights guarantees when the World Cup was granted to Qatar in 2010, a series of initiatives created after Gianni Infantino's appointment as president in 2016 aimed to address the issue, with minimal success. Workers were exploited throughout the tournament's buildup, and complaints of individuals having their salaries withheld and their rights being denied have persisted.
Homosexuality is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, as it is in Qatar. Lou Englefield, a major sports rights campaigner and the leader of the Fare network, has urged Fifa and the Saudi government to work together to ensure the safety and well-being of LGBTIQ+ individuals at the 2034 World Cup. "It is important that the men's World Cup is shared around the world," she went on to say. "We believe that is an important part of developing football and globalizing it as a social change agent."
"After the shocking events at the Qatar World Cup less than a year ago, where LGBTIQ+ people were effectively marginalized and our concerns were dismissed, we are looking for assurances that the Saudi authorities will take a different approach." We feel that the men's World Cup can be a meaningful vehicle for inclusiveness, and we will seek conversation opportunities as soon as feasible."
