“Are we really going to turn a blind eye to the awarding of the World Cup to Saudi Arabia, which practices the death penalty, which severely limits freedom of expression and particularly women’s rights?”protests Samuel Cogolati, co-president of the Greens. “For us, it is out of the question to award a World Cup to an authoritarian regime, without regard for the probable human costs! Unless FIFA finally takes action to compensate workers and Saudi Arabia introduces real human rights reforms, history will repeat itself and workers will once again pay the price. For us, unless major human rights reforms are announced, we must interrupt the selection process and put human rights back at the center of the game.”
The elected Ecolo recalls that the kafala system is still at work in Saudi Arabia. To obtain a work visa, the foreigner who comes to work must hand over his passport to a “guarantor” (“the one who guarantees”, in Arabic). Thousands of workers find themselves trapped, deprived of their rights and exposed to deadly working conditions. In 2020, international mobilization pushed Qatar to abolish this system. According to Amnesty International, several thousand migrant workers nevertheless died on major infrastructure projects in the country.
Do not vote for Saudi Arabia
Samuel Cogolati also points out that simple expressions on social networks can lead to prison sentences in the country which aims to be host. In 2024, 198 people were executed, including for minor offenses. Women remain under the supervision of men. Migrants are shot at the borders. The security of minorities is not guaranteed. What about the LGBTQIA+ people who will travel to the World Cup? Will women feel safe?
World Cup-2022: Amnesty calls on Qatar to stop abuses against migrant workers
“We are launching a very clear appeal to the Belgian Football Federation. We are asking them not to vote in favor of Saudi Arabia. We need real commitments, not just empty words! Comment prevent the exploitation of migrant workers as in Qatar? How can we prevent the expulsion of residents or the arrest of opponents of the regime? Fundamental human rights reforms are urgently needed in Saudi Arabia, otherwise the 2034 World Cup will inevitably be tainted? through exploitation, discrimination and repression”insists the co-president of the French-speaking Greens.
From Tuesday, Ecolo will mobilize its forces to put pressure on the federations with a view to spreading its thinking. The party recalls that in 2022, certain national teams (Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands) had carried out actions in this direction. Even the Red Devils launched a call for respect for diversity in 2010 when Qatar was designated as host country for the World Cup.
Failing this, Ecolo pleads for moving the competition to another country that is more respectful of human rights.
