Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon is one of two U.S. senators who oppose Saudi Arabia getting soccer’s World Cup competition in 2034. They site that nation’s history of human rights abuses.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, is the other senator opposing the kingdom being named as host country.
Many news outlets indicate Saudi Arabia is likely to be named as the 2034 host in December of this year.
“While FIFA appears poised to confirm Saudi Arabia’s bid on Dec. 11, your organization has a responsibility to uphold and promote human rights,” the senators wrote in a letter to Gianni Infantino, president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, also known as FIFA. “We strongly urge FIFA to take all steps necessary to thoroughly re-evaluate Saudi Arabia’s ill-equipped World Cup bid ahead of December and select a rights-respecting host country for World Cup 2034.”
Wyden and Durbin said selecting Saudi Arabia could endanger workers, athletes, tourists and members of the media. “Given the high stakes and scope of these games, FIFA cannot accept any assurances offered by the Saudi government nor aid the Saudi government in its effort to sportswash its bloody record.”
“Sportwashing” is a term related to the use of major, popular sporting events to burnish the damaged reputation of an area or nation. In 2023, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told The Guardian newspaper in England that he doesn’t care about accusations of “sportwashing” his nation.
The nonprofit Human Rights Watch has been critical of Saudi Arabia, including in its 2024 World Report. “Killings by Saudi Arabian forces of at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers at the Yemen-Saudi border may amount to crimes against humanity,” the international agency wrote. “Saudi Arabian authorities conducted arrests of peaceful dissidents, public intellectuals and human rights activists and sentenced people to decades-long prison terms or death sentences for social media posts. Abusive practices in detention centers, including torture and ill-treatment, prolonged arbitrary detention, and asset confiscation without any clear legal process, remain pervasive. There has been no accountability for Saudi Arabia’s role in apparent war crimes in Yemen.”
As of press time, officials at FIFA had not responded to Sens. Wyden and Durbin.
“The Saudi regime has long violated human rights and has made no progress toward meaningful reform and accountability,” the senators wrote. “The Kingdom continues to torture dissidents, engage in extrajudicial killings, discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, oppress women and religious minorities, exploit and abuse foreign workers, and restrict almost all political rights and civil liberties. In fact, Saudi Arabia hit a new record high in annual executions this year.”
They claim that the Saudi government also cracks down on media, labor unions, civil societies and more.
“If Saudi Arabia assumes the responsibilities of hosting the World Cup, these human rights abuses are sure to escalate throughout the planning, execution, and conclusion of the tournament,” the senators wrote.
In 2023, Wyden launched a “wide-ranging” investigation into a merger agreement between the PGA Tour and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Wyden chairs the Senate Finance Committee.
Durbin has served as the Senate majority whip since 2021.
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