December 5 – With precision timing, Human Rights Watch has renewed its offensive against FIFA for awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
The organisation slammed the treatment of migrant workers on construction projects just days ahead of the upcoming confirmation of the kingdom’s hosting of the tournament at an online meeting on December 11 when FIFA will ask more than 200 member federations to vote for Saudi Arabia by acclamation – 14 months after fast-tracking the Saudis into pole position as the only candidate.
The New York-based HWR claimed working conditions amounted to “forced labour”, even on high-profile projects at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 economic reform programme and urged FIFA to rethink its hosting policy even at the 11th hour.
HRW said the malpractice included “exorbitant recruitment fees, rampant wage theft, inadequate protections from extreme heat, restrictions on transferring jobs and uninvestigated worker deaths”.
In language reminiscent of similar criticism against Qatar in the build-up to the 2022 tournament, HRW warned of increasing pressure to meet “unrealistic, tight deadlines for projects”, citing interviews with 155 former and current migrant workers and families of deceased workers across employment sectors and regions.
In its evaluation of the kingdom’s bid, published on Saturday, FIFA described the Saudi bid as “a very strong all-round proposition”, but cautioned that the country’s human rights commitments could require “significant effort and time” before 2034.
Human Rights Watch went considerably further, saying FIFA had “engineered the World Cup hosting process to ignore the blatant human rights risks, including forced labour”.
“The human engine powering the construction of Saudi Arabia’s multibillion dollar giga-projects is the migrant workforce, who are facing widespread rights violations in Saudi Arabia without any recourse,” said HRW’s deputy Middle East director, Michael Page.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734896766labto1734896766ofdlr1734896766owedi1734896766sni@w1734896766ahsra1734896766w.wer1734896766dna1734896766