More than 100 professional footballers have signed a letter calling on FIFA to end its sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco, accusing Saudi authorities of “brutal human rights violations”.
A four-year deal signed in April Aramco, which is 98.5% state-owned, will sponsor major tournaments including the men's World Cup in 2026 and the women's World Cup in 2027.
But activists have accused Saudi Arabia of “sports laundering” – using its investment in sport to cover up its poor human rights record.
The regime has recently imposed long prison sentences on several women, often in secret trials, after they used social media to advocate for more rights and freedoms for women.
Earlier this year, Manahel al-Otaibi, 30, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after using social media to call for an end to rules that dictated that women need the permission of a male relative to marry or travel. Leeds University student Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweeting in support of women's rights.
In the letter published today, the women said the girls who would be the players of the future deserved much better from the sport's governing body than their “alliance with this nightmare sponsor.”
The signatories said: “Saudi authorities have been spending billions on sports sponsorship to try to distract from the regime's brutal human rights reputation, but its treatment of women speaks for itself.
“We are speaking openly because we stand alongside the citizens of Saudi Arabia whose human rights are violated. We do not want to be part of the cover-up of these violations.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the secure future of our planet.
“A corporation that bears flagrant responsibility for the climate crisis, owned by a State that criminalizes LBGTQ+ people and systematically oppresses women, has no place sponsoring our beautiful game.”
Last year, FIFA came under fire for its plans to make Go to Saudi, the country's tourism authority, a major sponsor of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Saudi activists said the footballers' letter “spoke louder than any public relations campaign.”
Lina al-Hathloul, head of human rights monitoring and advocacy at ALQST, said: “As long as Saudi Arabia's authorities do not genuinely respect women's rights and freedom, their reputation will continue to impede any lofty ambitions they may have. Thank you to these women for supporting the brave women of Saudi Arabia.”
Aramco has been contacted for comment.
In a statement to the Guardian, FIFA said sponsorship revenue was reinvested in football at all levels and that investment in women's football continued to increase, including for the 2023 Women's World Cup.
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