FIFA and the so-called hosts face very demanding situations in terms of human rights, coverage and scale of structural work.
Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. We know this, although FIFA’s bidding process won’t be finalised until the end of 2024. But the tournament is 10 years away, there’s still a lot to know. While the strength of the global football community to influence outcomes is arguably at an all-time high, here are three key areas of uncertainty:
The most serious challenge facing world football’s governing body as it hosts the World Cup in Saudi Arabia is how to deliver on its commitment to respect human rights, with a host country where human rights are routinely violated. Since 2016, under the leadership of newly elected President Gianni Infantino, FIFA has been committed to applying the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in its work. This means, according to FIFA’s statutes, “committing to respect globally recognized human rights in all areas and [striving] to publicize the coverage of those rights. “
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia), on the other hand, is in breach of a number of articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite the measures taken in its human rights framework, Saudi Arabia recently scores 8 out of 100 in Freedom House’s global assessment. Freedom in the World is a renowned report that assesses civil liberties and political rights within nation-states. Political dissent is punishable by death, women are legally obligated to obey their husbands in a “reasonable manner,” and homosexuality is illegal.
There is widespread scepticism about FIFA’s ability to deliver on its human rights commitments, even if these are strictly limited to the day-to-day tasks of World Cup-like projects. But there is a window for possible actions. This summer, Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid will have to provide FIFA with an independent assessment of human rights in the country. FIFA is required to assess human rights hazards as part of the selection process, with “sustainable capacity and human rights” being one of the six selection criteria.
The independent evaluation may be carried out only through a consulting firm or an organization of academics, but no direct input will be received from human rights organizations, as they are not allowed to operate in Saudi Arabia. Lina al-Hathloul of ALQST, which promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia, said allowing human rights organisations into the country would be a first step in ensuring FIFA can meet its commitments. “The precedent is to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to allow human rights organizations to monitor the situation,” said Hathloul, a Saudi citizen in exile. “Then you’ll be able to have more doors open, once you have the ability to monitor independently. “
Hathloul argues that another key action would be for the foreign network to start talking about the truth in Saudi Arabia. “I still believe that the game can build bridges and open doors; it can have a positive effect on a country. “But everyone agrees to remain silent on Saudi Arabia’s problems, arguing that it is a ‘cultural’ issue and accepting everything the Saudi government says. This only builds a façade of openness while other people try to hide. themselves.
“But rulers are still afraid of others, and others still have strength and influence, even if it is not particular or formal. The very fact that they hide facts about the trials, hide what happens in the prisons, is because they care about their image. They want foreign networks to see the country and the government as open and free. People want to paint about the influence they have to show Saudi Arabia that they know it’s not open. They want to play the narrative role and say, “Although Saudi Arabia has done everything it can to hide what’s going on, we’re not going to let you get away with it. “
Labour rights are human rights, but the care and coverage of staff is of particular importance at major sporting events and in particular the World Cup. The misfortune of Qatar, where more than 6,500 migrant workers have died in the years since the Gulf state won the right to host the 2022 World Cup, represents an extra determination to avoid a tragedy in Saudi Arabia.
As part of its human rights commitments, FIFA is committed to ensuring that the rights of employees and their safety are protected. The investigation into whether this is the case in Qatar is ongoing. But here again, Saudi Arabia presents a new set of challenges. Mustafa Qadri of the human rights and labour organisation Equidem says the situation in the country is “complicated” and that it is ahead of other Gulf states in some aspects of employee coverage.
At the same time, however, “there is no doubt that Saudi Arabia has the worst situation of any Gulf state and has the maximum political strength in this region,” Qadri says. “When you put these two things together, you get a damaging combination in terms of FIFA’s ability to make sure it hosts a tournament in a country that respects human rights. “
The Saudi Arabian government highlights recent advances in labour rights, adding the abolition of the kafala system, which links migrant workers to employers, and recruitment measures. However, there is a long list of additional adjustments that Qadri believes can be made. some of which echo those that occurred in Qatar in the run-up to the World Cup.
“Allowing staff to join legitimate, independent unions would be essential,” he said. “Allow staff to register court cases without being prosecuted. Abolish the flight law so that fleeing is no longer a crime for staff. Ensure that domestic staff and female staff have de facto the same protections as male staff.
Qadri isn’t convinced that any major adjustments will be made. “Because the threshold is so low, if there is an improvement, which it will be smart to see, then FIFA will continue to say that things have moved forward, as they did in Qatar,” he said. I think things have moved forward in Qatar, but given the amount of money, attention and expertise that has been invested in the country, it has been a resounding failure. “
Beyond the basic issues, there is the small issue of the structure of the stadiums, facilities, connectivity and accommodation that will allow the World Cup to be held. Saudi Arabia does not start from a constant scenario and can point to Qatar’s logistical good fortune as a style to follow. At the same time, the kingdom was only able to bid for 2034 because FIFA’s regulations regarding the number of existing stadiums required for any bid were reduced from seven to four.
Although the bidding process is theoretically continuing, the Saudi government has not yet made public its plans for the tournament. However, the country has a habit of denigrating its ambitions and the speed and scale of its structural projects are impressive.
At the end of January, the first event took place at the Kingdom Arena, Al-Hilal’s new home, built in 180 days. Populous Architects has published the first drawings of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya, named after the ruling crown prince and designed according to the needs of the FIFA World Cup. The 45,000-seat stadium will be wrapped in a huge LED screen and installed on the edge of a cliff.
Qiddiya is one of 16 “gigaprojects” in progress as a component of Bin Salman’s Vision 2030 strategy. His project, Neom, is expected to host at least one stadium for the World Cup. But Neom has been built, neither has Qiddiya, and together with the gigantic projects and the World Cup, Saudi Arabia has pledged to build the necessary infrastructure to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games and the World Expo in 2030. That’s a big ask, even for a country with a sovereign wealth fund of more than $600 billion. .
According to Ed James of business intelligence consultancy Meed, the ability to do all those projects at the same time is a fear within the realm. “I think in Saudi Arabia there is this idea that there are enough resources,” he said.
“It’s being openly discussed. In terms of materials, whether concrete, glass, steel or appliances such as excavators, cellular cranes, etc. There will not be enough materials and apparatus to carry out all these projects in parallel. This, of course, creates load pressures.
James says the Saudi government is trying to get around the resource problems by encouraging corporations from various sectors to set up shop in the country. “Whether it’s glass, steel, vehicles or electrical wires,” he says, “they say, ‘We. ‘We’re going to go in, identify your services in the kingdom, and we’ll be able to secure a safe amount of your production. ‘”
Similar invitations are sent to engineers, structural corporations, and experts needed to carry out projects, but they are not the only ones to do so. ” You see this migration, however, a lot of those engineers have come back to Dubai because it’s also a booming country,” James says. “It is vital to know that the UAE is also booming and that there are two competing structural markets looking to attract the same talent. “