Women’s World Cup stars set example by speaking out against latest FIFA misstep
ANDY DUNN COLUMN: FIFA has named Visit Saudi as one of the sponsors of the upcoming Women’s World Cup, but the players are holding their own by fighting back against the governing body
At least the top players heading to the Women’s World Cup have a few balls.
Remember when the top men’s footballers said they would not remain silent when it came to raising fundamental human rights concerns at Qatar 2022? FIFA then issued some vague yellow-card threats and the colorful armbands – hardly the boldest gesture of defiance to begin with – were dropped in no time at all.
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President, was ridiculed ahead of last year’s World Cup when he basically said national associations should “stick to football”. But that’s exactly what they did. Luckily, it seems like high-profile female soccer players aren’t going to be so forgiving.
It has been widely reported but not yet confirmed that tourism authority Visit Saudi will be one of FIFA’s commercial partners for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year.
Sports governing bodies in those countries have already expressed their anger at the prospect and now two-time world champion Alex Morgan has given FIFA both barrels.
“Morally it just doesn’t make sense,” said Morgan, who has scored 120 goals for the United States. “It is bizarre that FIFA tried to have a Visit Saudi sponsorship for the Women’s World Cup when myself, Alex Morgan, would not even be supported and accepted in this country.”
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When the world’s best players openly express their disgust, it will be interesting to see what FIFA does. But Infantino and FIFA are so enslaved by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and their limitless funds that it’s hard to imagine them taking any conciliatory action.
The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will be held in Saudi Arabia and we all know that the World Cup will land there one day. They’re not the only ones drooling over Saudi money, of course.
Formula 1, men’s golf, Newcastle United, women’s golf, tennis, Lionel Messi, boxing, Cristiano Ronaldo, horse racing, the list goes on and on…because the money goes on and on.
It really is limitless. In one quarter last year, Saudi state oil company Aramco made profits of over £40 billion.
Separately, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights and action group Reprieve recently released a report that said the execution rate has nearly doubled under de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman, with the past six years among the bloodiest in the kingdom’s history belonged.
According to the report, an average of 129 executions have been carried out annually since 2015, including 147 in 2022 – 90 of them for crimes deemed non-violent. It might make your stomach turn, but at least they have a lot of money to invest in the sport. swings and carousels.
There IS a potential positive downside to the sports laundry phenomenon as human rights issues in Saudi Arabia may receive more scrutiny. But that’s only going to happen if more people follow the example of elite athletes like Alex Morgan… and grow a pair.