A Saudi Arabian 2034 World Cup
Sportswashing as a political sport
Don’t you just love, FIFA? Look what they tell you about the principles that mean so much to them: “FIFA recognises its obligation to uphold the inherent dignity and equal rights of everyone affected by its activities… FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights.”
It’s exemplary. Who could possibly object? So why have they driven a coach and horses right through their own self-serving and utterly mendacious declaration and given FIFA 2034 to the serial human rights abusers in Saudi Arabia? Could it be that they simply don’t know what’s going on in the Kingdom, that they were too busy to read the plentiful human rights reports, or they forgot about them in the rush to do their Christmas shopping? Truth is, they simply didn’t care.
The Saudis
Whatever their excuse, allow me to quote from a few examples of the kind of “respect for internationally recognized human rights” shown by the Saudi authorities, now basking in FIFA’s warm and very public embrace. This from the US State Department’s report on Saudi transgressions published in April this year. I make no apologies for the long list. Everyone should read it:
“…credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by government agents; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; political prisoners or detainees; transnational repression against individuals in another country; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; punishment of family members for alleged offenses by a relative; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, and censorship.”
What marvellous qualifications for hosting one of the prime showpieces of international sport. And what a massive, terminal dent in FIFA’s own reputation, already tarnished beyond repair. Human Rights Watch said the award to Saudi Arabia followed a fake evaluation process and added that without legally binding human rights commitments, which FIFA had not demanded, it would come at an “unimaginable human cost, including adverse intergenerational impacts on migrant workers and their families.” Earlier this month, it warned that foreign workers in the Kingdom were facing widespread abuses across employment sectors, some of which might amount to forced labour.
Football and repression
I’m curious about how FIFA thinks its announcement will play in the plentiful dungeons of Saudi Arabia… cheering in the cells, (gentle) back-slapping in the torture rooms, the odd bottle of water, or even (as so rarely seems to happen) a visit from a prisoner’s concerned family member – to celebrate the Kingdom’s proud moment and what it called this week “the greatest success story in our kingdom.”
On one or two occasions in recent years, I was able to raise human rights issues with Saudi officials. My last attempt was at the Munich Security Conference in 2017, where former Saudi intelligence chief Turki Al Faisal smilingly told me that accusations by the State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch were simply “misinformed.”
I’ve no doubt he’d say the same thing today, and the smile would be broader than ever. After all, sportswashing – that process of trying to improve a rotten reputation by staging prestigious sporting events – just got a huge shot in the arm.
The Saudis may not know much about human rights – but they certainly know how to play the system.
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