Human rights advocates have responded after Saudi Arabia was awarded as hosting the men’s football World Cup in 2034, despite anti-gay laws in the country.

The 211 nations represented during a three-hour FIFA Extraordinary Congress meeting on Wednesday (11 December) voted in favour of the Middle Eastern country’s bid, as well as deciding on the proposed hosts for the 2030 World Cup.

Saudi Arabia became the sole bidder after the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bid did not garner support and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand was withdrawn. 

LGBTQ+ fans were shocked to learn that Saudi Arabia would be hosting the prestigious tournament so soon after it was held in Qatar, where it is also illegal to be gay.

In the wake of the news, human rights advocates have condemned the move as a “moment of great danger”. A total of 21 organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FairSquare, and more published a joint statement warning of the “well-known and severe risks to residents, migrant workers and visiting fans alike”. 

“By awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without meaningful protections, FIFA has today decided both to ignore our warnings and discard its own human rights policies,” it wrote.

“Today, there is no shortage of evidence of migrant workers being exploited and subjected to racism, activists sentenced to decades in prison for expressing themselves peacefully, women and LGBTQIA+ people facing legalized discrimination, or residents forcibly evicted to make way for state projects.

“It is evident that without urgent action and comprehensive reforms, the 2034 World Cup will be tarnished by repression, discrimination and exploitation on a massive scale,” it noted.

The organisations explained that “FIFA has long accepted that it has a clear responsibility” to uphold human rights. “While the Saudi population undoubtedly deserves to experience the joy that international sport can bring, this cannot come at any price,” the statement continued.

“It must go hand in hand with measures to guarantee the rights that their government continues to deny them.”

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, with the death penalty among the punishments for those found to have engaged in same-sex acts. In addition, LGBTQ+ topics are censored and it is illegal to be trans because Sharia Law prohibits what it describes as “cross-dressing”. 

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