Greens call for answers from SFA on ‘shocking and shameful’ Saudi World Cup decision
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay has urged the Scottish Football Association (SFA) to make clear its position on the decision to allow Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 World Cup.
In a letter to SFA Chief Executive, Ian Maxwell, Ms Mackay said that the decision “makes a mockery of FIFA’s own human rights commitments” and urged Mr Maxwell and his colleagues to take a stand against it.
This follows press reports suggesting that the SFA backed the Saudi bid.
Following the decision, 21 respected organisations published a joint statement condemning the move as a “moment of great danger” for human rights. Signatories included Saudi diaspora human rights organisations, migrant workers’ groups from Nepal and Kenya, international trade unions, fans’ representatives and global human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.
Ms Mackay said:
“The decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia was a shocking and shameful one.
“The Saudi regime is one of the most brutal and repressive dictatorships anywhere in the world. For years now, it has poured money into hosting elite sports in a bid to cover up its awful record. It should not be allowed to treat football’s biggest tournament as a propaganda vehicle.
“Football is meant to be for everyone, and this sends a terrible message about FIFA’s commitment to human rights. Many fans across Scotland and beyond will be rightly appalled by the decision.
“Especially at a time when more girls and women than ever before are taking up football, we need to speak up for equality and inclusivity in our sport.
“A lot of fans would be very angry and disappointed if the SFA offered its backing to the bid. I urge the Chief Executive and his team to listen to the voices and experiences of human rights campaigners and join the call for FIFA to think again.”
Text of Gillian Mackay’s letter to the SFA
Dear Mr Maxwell,
I am writing to you following the recent confirmation of Saudi Arabia as hosts of the 2034 World Cup at FIFA’s Extraordinary Congress.
I believe that this decision is scandalous and marks a dark day for human rights and for football.
Following the confirmation, 21 organisations have published a joint statement condemning the move as a “moment of great danger” for human rights. Signatories include Saudi diaspora human rights organisations, migrant workers’ groups from Nepal and Kenya, international trade unions, fans’ representatives and global human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.
The World Cup is supposed to be for everyone, but the Saudi regime is a dictatorship with one of the worst human rights records in the world. It is evident that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by exploitation on an enormous scale and that workers may even die as a result.
We cannot allow football's biggest tournament to be used as a propaganda vehicle to sportswash the abuses that have been inflicted on generations of Saudi people.
This decision makes a mockery of FIFA’s own human rights commitments and policies and its affiliated associations that have backed this bid risk bearing a heavy responsibility for many of the human rights abuses that will follow.
I am therefore asking if the Scottish Football Association gave their backing to this controversial bid, and if so, could they explain to football fans across the length and breadth of our country why.
Many thanks
Gillian Mackay MSP