More than 100 women footballers urge Fifa to drop partnership with Saudi-run Aramco
ITV News Reporter Charlie Frost reports on what was written in the letter and what the footballers are hoping to achieve
More than 100 female professional footballers have banded together to pen an open letter asking Fifa to end its partnership with Saudi oil and gas group Aramco.
Fifa signed a four-year deal with Aramco back in April, which will see the Saudi state-owned firm gain sponsorship rights to the Men's World Cup in 2026 and the Women's World Cup the following year.
Hailing from 24 countries, players have called on football's world governing body to reconsider the deal on both humanitarian and environmental grounds.
Calling the partnership a "punch in the stomach" to football, Manchester City striker Vivianne Miedema, Canada captain Jessie Fleming and Danish international Sofie Junge Pedersen are among the stars to have signed the letter.
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Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in a number of sports, including football, golf and Formula One, leading to women's rights groups and members of the LGBT+ community, along with other critics, to level accusations that the Kingdom is attempting to "sportswash" its human rights record.
The letter emphasises that gay players, who "are heroes of our sport", are at risk of persecution in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is considered a crime.
Speaking to CBC News, Danish midfielder Sofie Pedersen said: "We think that it's quite absurd that we, as female football players, are asked to promote on our shirt, Saudi Aramco as a sponsor.
"The human rights violation there, the discrimination against women that the Saudi authorities stand for - it's just absurd and very shocking for me that we are asked to do that when these are not our values and also not FIFA's own values."
Other players have accused Fifa of choosing "money over women's safety", adding "Fifa might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it alight."
Back in April, when the deal was initially mooted, Fifa President Gianni Infantino said: “We are delighted to welcome Aramco to FIFA’s family of global partners."
“This partnership will assist Fifa to successfully deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enable us to provide enhanced support to our 211 Fifa member associations across the globe.
“Aramco has a strong track record of supporting world-class events, but also a focus on developing grassroots sport initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them on a variety of initiatives over the coming years.”
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the majority owner of Newcastle, also holds a minority stake in Aramco.
In a statement, Fifa said: "Fifa values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners. Fifa is an inclusive organisation with many commercial partners also supporting other organisations in football and other sports.
"Sponsorship revenues generated by Fifa are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women's football continues to increase, including for the historic Fifa Women's World Cup 2023 and its groundbreaking new distribution model.
"As well as the increased support for teams at the tournament last year, Fifa’s updated Women’s Football Strategy for 2023-2027 further highlights how commercial revenues are reinvested back into the development of the women’s game. Fifa’s financial figures are also published annually.
"In May 2024, the Fifa Congress approved seven standing committees for the women's game at all levels, including the Women's Players Committee."
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