Executions and women's rights: Why Fifa awarding Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup is controversial?

Word by Jamel Smith, ITV News Producer

Fifa's decision to select Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup has come under fire from human rights groups over the country's record on women's rights, LGBT issues, executions and free speech.

Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), recently warned that if Saudi Arabia hosted the football event there could be an “unimaginable human cost”.

Critics have labelled the decision as the most significant case of sportswashing in FIFA's history.

A recent report from HRW, titled “Die First, and I’ll Pay You Later,” argues that the Saudi government, headed by its de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), is using the tournament to “wash away its poor human rights reputation”.

Amnesty International said that the decision "will put many lives at risk".

“FIFA’s reckless decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without ensuring adequate human rights protections are in place will put many lives at risk,” Amnesty’s head of labour rights and sport Steve Cockburn said.

The argument is also shared by Lina al-Hathloul, Head of Monitoring and Advocacy at ALQST for Human Rights, who described the country as "a pure police state ruled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with no checks and balances".

The Saudis claim the country has made strides in terms of human rights in recent years, but critics still say it has a long way to go.

In a 2023 interview with Fox News, MBS said he did not "care" if the country’s investments were labelled as sportswashing, as long as they "increase my GDP by one percent".

This all raises the question of why FIFA's decision to choose Saudi Arabia is so controversial, ITV News explains.

LGBTQ rights

LGBTQ+ rights are virtually non-existent in Saudi Arabia, and are not legally recognised or protected. The Saudi government has previously labelled such suggestions as "extremist ideas".

Currently, Saudi Arabia's legal system bans LGBTQ+ relationships, public displays of affection, and gender expression.

LGBTQ+ people face severe stigma, discrimination, and harsh penalties, including imprisonment, fines, or the death penalty, Amnesty says.

Equal rights

Amnesty claims that Saudi women remain subject to discrimination in law and in practice.

The organisation points to the country's male guardianship system - made law in 2022 - which requires women to have a male legal guardian. They cannot choose who this guardian will be.

Human rights groups also claim that women could be subject to imprisonment for violating Saudi practices and laws.

This year, Manahel al-Otaibi was sentenced to 11 years in prison for using social media to advocate against rules requiring women to get a male relative's permission to marry or travel.

Executions

In 2023, Saudi Arabia carried out the third-highest number of executions globally, with 300 people having already been executed this year - a record based on official figures.

The country is also alleged to have committed executions on foreign soil.

MBS in 2018, according to US intelligence, approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. He has denied the allegations.

Khashoggi had been critical of the Saudi government. His alleged assassination highlights the Saudi's crackdown on the freedom of the press.

Unfair trials and torture

Amnesty reported that in 2022 Saudi authorities arbitrarily detained Ethiopian men, women, and children for up to 18 months in "inhumane" conditions.

Detainees were said to be tortured, denied adequate food, water, sanitation, and healthcare, and at least 12 men died before their forced deportation to Ethiopia.

Trials are reported to be unfair, with lengthy prison sentences, solitary confinement, and restricted communication.

Leeds University student and mother of two, Salma al-Shehab, was sentenced to 27 years in prison on terrorism charges after an unfair trial for tweeting in support of women’s rights.

Treatment of migrants

HRW has emphasised the treatment of migrant workers, who will primarily be responsible for constructing Saudi Arabia's World Cup infrastructure.

HRW said in a June statement that employees are “vulnerable to widespread abuse, including contract substitution, exorbitant recruitment fees, non-payment of wages, confiscation of passports by employers, and forced labour.”

Despite a series of reforms announced by the Saudis in recent years, employers “still hold disproportionate control over workers,” HRW said.

Amnesty said there is "clear evidence" that Fifa workers will be exploited.

“Based on clear evidence to date, FIFA knows workers will be exploited and even die without fundamental reforms in Saudi Arabia, and yet has chosen to press ahead regardless," Amnesty's Cockburn said.

“The organisation risks bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.”

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