News
Get the latest news and updates from our partners on the human rights issues in and around the world of sport.
SEARCH BY KEYWORD
SEARCH BY TAG
Global: Saudi Arabia bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup whitewashes human rights record while joint bid for 2030 leaves key gaps
Analysis shows Saudi Arabia has still failed to commit to fundamental reforms Saudi Arabia has failed to meet FIFA’s own human rights requirements in its bid for the 2034 men’s World Cup, Amnesty International said today following the publication of its ‘Bid Book’ for the 48-team tournament. Key gaps also remain in plans for the […]
FIFA: Secure binding safeguards from 2030 and 2034 World Cup bidders
Global: FIFA must protect human rights by securing binding safeguards from 2030 and 2034 World Cup bidders – new report FIFA must rigorously and transparently ensure that bids to host the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cup tournaments fully safeguard human rights and reject any offer that risks abuses once again tainting the world’s largest sporting […]
Saudi Arabia: ILO Forced Labor Complaint a Wake-Up Call
Global Union Filing Stresses Urgent Need for Labor Reforms, Remedy for Past Abuses (Geneva) – A forced labor complaint against the Saudi Arabian government filed by a global trade union is a significant warning to Saudi authorities and businesses and investors in the country about the predictable and preventable migrant labor abuses associated with the government’s Vision 2030 plan […]
2023 Annual Report: A New Era for Sport and Human Rights
Human Rights Can No Longer Be Ignored by the World of Sport “After years of fighting for global sport to recognize its impact and responsibility toward human rights, the year 2023 ushered in a new era – an era where human rights can no longer be ignored by sport governing bodies,” writes Andrea Florence, director […]
FIFA: Publish Robust Rights Framework for 2026 World Cup
(New York) – FIFA should immediately release and commit to implementing the robust Human Rights Framework for the 2026 Men’s Soccer World Cup, which it developed through extensive consultations with civil society stakeholders and public officials from across North America. The framework, which FIFA shared with host cities in March 2024, will govern labor and human rights for all […]
Global: FIFA must publish its review into compensation for workers harmed delivering the World Cup in Qatar
FIFA should immediately publish and act on a review it received five months ago assessing its human rights responsibilities towards workers harmed delivering the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International said today. Amnesty International understands that an independent review, which was announced at FIFA’s Congress early last year and had its findings approved by FIFA’s […]
Sparking Change at Play the Game 2024: Reflections from the Sport & Rights Alliance
The 13th edition of the Play the Game conference held in Trondheim, Norway, this February, brought together academics, journalists, athletes, human rights defenders and other stakeholders in the sports world to discuss the most pressing issues in international sport. The Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) participated in the forum with a robust delegation, with representatives […]
Statement by Dignity 2026 Coalition on the Announcement of the Match Schedule for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
This weekend, FIFA released the much-anticipated match schedule for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be held across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As planning accelerates in these host cities, event organizers will now be making critical decisions on tournament operations, including for Fan Fests, transportation, concessions, and hospitality. In […]
Qatar: Inaction by Qatar and FIFA a year on from the World Cup puts legacy for workers in peril
Qatar’s continuing failure to remedy abuses faced by migrant workers and adequately protect them from labour exploitation is tainting the legacy of the FIFA men’s World Cup one year on, Amnesty International said today. A new briefing, A Legacy in Jeopardy, shows that progress towards improving workers’ rights has largely stalled since the tournament ended, while remedy […]
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 […]
Women’s World Cup Shows Equality Still Has A Long Way To Go
The 2023 Women’s World Cup tournament begins this week to great fanfare and broadcasting revenues estimated at close to $200 million. This is great news for the sport’s global governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)— but not so great for the women players on the field. As a flagship event in women’s sport, the […]
Landmark New Report Finds Trade Union Rights A Top Concern For Players Worldwide
A landmark survey released by the World Players Association (WPA) today uncovers that players face significant barriers to exercising their internationally recognized human rights to organize and to collectively bargain- #R2O – in global sport. The report titled, #R2O: Effective Athlete Representation in Global Sport 2023 outlines why #R2O is essential to the ability to effectively represent […]