Can football and human rights ever be married?

FIFA, the international body which governs football, has been the subject of heavy criticism over the past few years after awarding World Cup contracts to Russia and Qatar for 2018 and 2022 respectively - countries infamous for their authoritarian regimes and inadequate human rights regimes.

FIFA’S HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY

An award for a new world cup championship tournament in 2021 has now gone to China. Since 2015, China has become a big spender in the sport with the President aiming to make the Chinese football team one of the best in the world. This tournament will be the inaugural version of the expanded Club World Cup programme featuring some of the biggest clubs around the world, being held across eight Chinese cities.

Due to external pressure from human rights groups and states, recent changes in FIFA’s selection process require countries bidding for the award to undergo a human rights review. There was no indication whether China underwent such a review or would do so in the future.

The President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, gave a news conference in Shanghai at the end of October and avoided talking about the country’s human rights record. Instead Infantino diverted such questions from the press to the topic of recent protests around the world in countries such as Chile, Lebanon and Syria. He said: “It is not the mission of FIFA to solve the problems of the world...The mission of FIFA is to organize football and to develop football all over the world.”

CHINA’S TREATMENT OF UIGHARS SEEMINGLY NOT AN ISSUE FOR FIFA

Recent criticism of China being selected as a home for FIFA’s new world cup tournament stems from the ongoing issue of the treatment of the majority Muslim, Uighar population. Growing condemnation from human rights groups and almost two dozen countries have shed light on these once covert activities. China maintains that the camps in which the Uighars are arbitrarily detained are anti-extremism camps aimed at re-educating the population about Chinese values.

Amnesty International UK’s head of police and government affairs, Allan Hogarth responded to the news saying: “China being chosen to host the Fifa Club World Cup in 2021 presents Beijing with yet another opportunity to try to ‘sportswash’ its tarnished international reputation.

 “It’s likely the Chinese authorities will see the competition as an opportunity to project an image of openness and toleration, whereas the much darker reality in the country is one of pervasive censorship, relentless round-ups of dissidents, and the shocking mass detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang.

“China has an atrocious human rights record and Fifa must use its considerable influence to push for human rights improvements in the country.

 “Any club involved in a China-hosted Club World Cup – from players through to coaches and backroom staff – should be ready to speak out on human rights issues in China.”

FIFA’s human rights policy has been regarded as successful in promoting women’s rights insofar it pushed for an end to the almost 40-year prohibition on women entering football stadiums. Despite this, the organisation’s legacy in choosing countries like Qatar and Russia has been marred with the death of workers, mistreatment of migrants, restrictions on press freedom, mistreatment of the LGBT community and overall human rights abuses.  

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Co-founder of Human Rights Pulse, Aqsa enjoys channeling her inner-journalist and frequently writes about domestic and international human rights issues.

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