FIFA faces new accusations over human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), a trade union that has previously worked with FIFA on governance reforms, claims its efforts to discuss the exploitation of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia have been ignored. The BWI filed a complaint in June with the International Labour Organisation, highlighting “an epidemic of abuses” against migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. One key example involved thousands of Filipino workers still awaiting compensation after years of unpaid wages.

Despite repeated requests, BWI says FIFA has failed to engage in dialogue or impose strict conditions for hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Ambet Yuson, BWI’s general secretary and former member of FIFA’s human rights advisory board, accused FIFA of proceeding with the bidding process “without any robust assessment.” He warned that awarding the World Cup to Saudi Arabia without safeguards risks creating a “permanent stain” in the world of sport.

“Rewarding Saudi Arabia with the 2034 Fifa World Cup without any robust assessment and any mechanisms in place to prevent further abuses, is to endorse exploitation and injustice on a global stage,” Yuson said.

BWI’s complaint highlights the plight of 21,000 migrant workers from countries such as the Philippines, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. In one case, 8,830 Filipino workers from the defunct Saudi Oger company went unpaid, and only a fraction of them have been compensated. FIFA is expected to finalize Saudi Arabia as the 2034 host in December, but the BWI insists that, given the ban on trade unions and foreign NGOs in the country, FIFA must act to ensure workers’ rights are protected.

FIFA’s own human rights policy says it will “constructively engage with the relevant authorities and other stakeholders and make every effort to uphold its international human rights responsibilities.”