In a dramatic challenge to the integrity and dedication to human rights of FIFA, a band of top international lawyers formally charged the world football governing body with not being good enough to be worthy of fulfilling its ideals by awarding the 2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia. Posted to FIFA’s official complaint site, this complaint arrives amid increasing international indignation at the Kingdom’s long-documented history of human rights violations. The 30-page complaint warns FIFA is allowing “political deals and profits to eclipse accountability and basic human dignity. Let’s take a deeper look at it:
Legal Experts Sue FIFA with 30-Page Complaint
The filing was done by Mark Pieth, Stefan Wehrenberg, and Rodney Dixon, all qualified legal practitioners with experience in anti-corruption, international law, and human rights. The filing utilized FIFA’s internal web-based complaint system, a formal and historical attempt to hold the organization accountable to its standards.
“FIFA’s deafening silence on our approaches to help ensure international human rights compliance was deafening,” Swiss attorney Stefan Wehrenberg wrote. “In accepting unchallenged Saudi Arabia’s bid, FIFA has not only closed its eyes to human rights concerns—it has muffled them.”
A One-Horse Race Raises Eyebrows
In December 2023, Saudi Arabia was officially declared the 2034 host by acclamation with no competing bid. The move has come under widespread criticism as being secretive and undemocratic.
“A bid that passes without challenge in a nation with such a human rights history is not an accident—it’s a process failure,”
added British human rights lawyer Rodney Dixon.
“FIFA must tell us how it can claim respect for human rights when it maintains silence in the face of one of the world’s most oppressive regimes.”
Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Record: A Litany of Abuses
The petition outlines a trend of systematic violations in Saudi Arabia that are contrary to FIFA’s human rights policy, including:
- Constraints on freedom of speech and expression
- Arbitrary arrest of activists, journalists, and critics
- Discrimination against women and minorities
- Mass exploitation of migrant workers
“Saudi Arabia’s record is not getting better—it is worsening,” added Pieth. “If FIFA continues down this path, it risks becoming an accomplice to repression instead of a force for international unity.”
Human Rights Watch contributed likewise recently, writing: “Saudi authorities continue to misuse the kafala system, exposing migrant workers to exploitation, wage theft, and physical abuse.”
Business as Usual Despite Policy Commitments
The formally submitted complaint to the court alleges that FIFA is not doing anything to end these abuses, instead simply carrying out business as usual. “No action is being taken by FIFA to correct these breaches in the lead-up to the World Cup,” states the complaint. “Instead, it seems it is business as usual with no changes to be made.” Critics claim that FIFA’s silence and inaction not only shortchange their victims of abuse but also encourage authoritarian governments to utilize sports as a tool for image washing.
FIFA’s Human Rights Policy and Hypocrisy Claims
FIFA published its Human Rights Policy in 2017, according to which host nations have to comply with global human rights and labor practices based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The policy was rigorously enforced for the 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Each of these nations had to demonstrate compliance and submit strong human rights plans. So why didn’t Saudi Arabia hold the same standard?
“FIFA has passed laws that it will not enforce,” said Wehrenberg. “That’s not poor governance—that’s complicity.”
Infantino and Trump’s Middle East Visit Raises Questions
It was just days from kickoff time for FIFA’s congress each year when President Gianni Infantino took a well-publicized visit to Saudi Arabia with President Donald Trump, where eyebrows were raised. Their visit involved state-level discussions and talks that reportedly focused on sports diplomacy and infrastructure collaboration.
After the visit, Infantino and Trump also met with the leaders in Qatar, the host country of the 2022 World Cup, which had faced over a decade of backlash for the way it treated migrant workers.
Fans viewed these meetings as more than symbolic.
“Infantino’s meeting with political leaders of oppressive governments is highly disturbing,”
Human Rights Watch’s Minky Worden said.
“It raises serious concerns about FIFA’s integrity and independence.”
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: A Smokescreen?
Saudi officials often invoke the Vision 2030 program—a sweeping initiative to transform the Saudi economy and society—as a sign of reform. While cosmetic changes have been made, including allowing women to drive and relaxing entertainment prohibitions, critics contend that they are a smokescreen.
“Vision 2030 is more marketing than reform,”
Dixon said.
“The repression of activists, the surveillance regime, and worker abuses are all still firmly in place.”
Saudi Arabia is already investing giant sums in colossal infrastructure projects to construct new stadiums and transport networks for the 2034 tournament. The scale is set to be even larger than Qatar’s, which cost more than $200 billion and was plagued by intense international condemnation.
FIFA Response and the Road Ahead
In a recent letter to Human Rights Watch, FIFA reiterated its “strong commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of its activities.” But the complainants consider the statement not good enough.
“Slogans without the force of enforcement are worthless,”
declared Pieth.
“We need transparency, oversight, and the specter of sanctioning hosts.”
The attorneys are calling for FIFA to introduce a compliance-based model for Saudi Arabia, including third-party oversight, grievance redress for workers who have been harmed, and binding commitments on civil rights.
“There is still the chance for genuine reform, but only if FIFA acts decisively and in good faith,” Dixon asserted.
Growing Global Pressure: Demanding Need for Change
The complaint is among the recent ones lodged with growing pressure on FIFA by civil society, human rights groups, and media organizations arguing that football’s global popularity involves global responsibility. In an open letter to FIFA a week ago, more than 20 NGOs called upon FIFA to “put a zero-tolerance policy against human rights violations by World Cup host nations.” The NGOs claim that by awarding hosting rights to countries with questionable human rights records, FIFA is essentially condoning a culture of impunity and cover-up.
A Test of FIFA’s Integrity
As FIFA starts preparing for the 2034 World Cup, it stands at a crossroads. Will it continue to be an organization that speaks volumes about human rights but does little to act upon them, or will it finally take steps to walk its talk? The official complaint filed by Pieth, Wehrenberg, and Dixon can prove to be a wake-up call, not just for the tournament, but also for football governance across the globe! Ready for Change? Boycott the Saudi FIFA 2034 World Cup!