This Wednesday, December 11, Fifa must validate the choice of candidates for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. The 2030 edition must be organized jointly by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. In 2034, Saudi Arabia is best placed, with the announcement of a pharaonic project.
A new human scandal?
In a press release published with the support of Sport & Rights Alliance, the non-governmental organization Amnesty International warns of several risks. “Awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without credible guarantees of reforms will have a real and predictable human cost. Fans will be discriminated against, residents will be forcibly evicted, migrant workers will be exploited and many will die.had notably alerted Steve Cockburn, head of the labor rights and sport program within Amnesty.
READ ALSO. Concerned, Amnesty calls for the interruption of the process of awarding the 2030 and 2034 World Cups
When evaluating its bid to host the 2034 World Cup, FIFA gave Saudi Arabia a risk rating ” AVERAGE “ regarding human rights. However, the NGO and around ten other organizations revealed in October that the independent assessment carried out by AS&H Clifford Chance omitted key human rights issues.
Freedom of expression and of the press for journalists on site also raises questions, Saudi Arabia having been found guilty of having organized the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
A new ecological scandal?
In addition to the human aspect, the World Cup in Saudi Arabia plans to build eleven new stadiums, including one in a futuristic city completely to be built, Neom. The organization is planning major work on renewable energy, with neutral enclosures in terms of consumption.
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However, it is difficult to imagine that the ecological cost of construction added to transport during the competition which should be, as in Qatar, mainly by air, would not be offset by the autonomous operation of the different stadiums.
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