Saudi Aramco-FIFA Sponsorship Deal : Another Case of Blatant Sportwashing

Aramco, a leading energy and chemicals Saudi public company, has signed a four-year global partnership with the International Association Football Federation (FIFA). The company will become FIFA’s Major Worldwide Partner exclusive in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 26 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.[…]

Between incoherent pledges and an inefficient system: failing to provide effective remedies to migrant workers in Qatar

Last month, FIFA announced that Saudi Arabia will host the next 2034 World Cup. Their announcement highlights unsolved issues from the 2022 Qatar edition. FIFA and Qatar did not uphold the respect of migrant workers’ rights involved in building the necessary infrastructures for the most important football competition. This negligence convinced different members of the[…]

2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia: Agreeing to repeat human rights violations

On the 31st of October, FIFA announced that Saudi Arabia had become the sole bidder of the 2034 World Cup. The decision certainly does not come as a surprise. FIFA has regularly been criticized for bribery scandals and its nonchalance in sponsoring World Cups in states with poor human rights standards (Russia, China, Qatar). Nonetheless,[…]

Dishonesty, Sabotage, and Concerns over the Kafala System Mar Qatar’s Hosting of the World Cup

Football is a cherished international institution followed by millions of fans around the world. Every several years, countries come together and vote to decide the location of the FIFA World Cup tournament. During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, around 900 million viewers are estimated to have watched the final France vs Croatia match. Excitement[…]

Qatar’s Migrant Workers’ Rights a Cause for Great Concern in the Face of the 2022 World Cup

In 2010, Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup that has since fielded corruption allegations, into which investigations are still ongoing. A leading question surfacing after the announcement, among other environmental and climate concerns, revolved around the nation’s lack of necessary infrastructure to host such a high-profile, global event that many[…]