Human Rights Watch

FIFA: No Remedy for Qatar Migrant Worker Abuses

A Year Later, Lack of Action Still Haunts Abused Workers (Beirut) – FIFA and Qatar have failed in the past year to remedy abuses of migrant workers who made the 2022 Qatar World Cup possible, including families of thousands of migrant workers who died of unexplained causes, Human Rights Watch said today. The 2022 World Cup tournament may be […]

Rights At Risk As Saudi Arabia ‘Sole Bidder’ To Host 2034 World Cup

In 2013, then-FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke gave a press conference in which he clarified FIFA’s strategy for choosing World Cup hosts: “I will say something which is crazy, but less democracy is sometimes better for organizing a World Cup. …When you have a very strong head of state who can decide, as maybe Putin can do […]

FIFA Broke Own Human Rights Rules for World Cup Hosts

Saudi Arabia Shouldn’t be Rewarded for Its Repression (New York) – Global soccer governing body FIFA has broken its own human rights rules in announcing a plan for hosting the next two men’s World Cups that effectively eliminates bidding and human rights due diligence, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 4, FIFA announced that the 2030 World Cup will take place in Morocco, Portugal, […]

Olympic Committee’s Rights Commitments Tested in India

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is holding its 140th annual session from October 15 to 17 in Mumbai, India, where the government is expected to announce its bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games in the western state of Gujarat. India has never hosted the Olympics and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that now is […]

Spanish Women Players Spotlight Crisis of Abuse

All Players Deserve Harassment-Free Work Environment When Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales refused to step down after kissing Spanish football player and 2023 World Cup champion Jenni Hermoso without her consent, he instead justified his actions. In a speech to the general assembly of the Spanish Football Federation, Rubiales centered himself as the victim, blamed “false feminism” for […]

FIFA Must Show The Red Card To Sexual Abuse

The Goal Is A Safe Place To Work For Women And Teen Players The Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is on track to become the most attended stand-alone women’s sporting event in history as 32 top women’s teams compete for the coveted title of World Champion. What fans of the sport don’t see is […]