00:00However, the bidding process has exposed FIFA's stated commitment to human rights as an absolute
00:07and utter sham.
00:09Over the next decade, Human Rights Watch will be working in close coalition with other human
00:14rights organizations, Saudi activists, migrant workers organizations, to monitor the situation
00:20on the ground and to push for accountability for those who seek to profit off of egregious
00:27violations.
00:28Saudi Arabia and FIFA respectively are both very wealthy countries and FIFA is a very
00:33wealthy institution.
00:35So it is possible for these workers to be adequately compensated, adequately protected,
00:41and for there to be a fantastic World Cup in Saudi Arabia that is not marred by abuses.
00:46However, given what we've seen in the lead up to Saudi Arabia being awarded the World
00:51Cup, I have serious doubts that both of these institutions will be able to do what they
00:57need to do to make sure that, first and foremost, as civil society, we're going to be monitoring
01:01and documenting the situation on the ground.
01:042034 will require an immense amount of construction, 11 stadiums will need to be erected from scratch.
01:12At least four more are due to be refurbished.
01:15So there will be an immense amount of labor necessary for the 2034 World Cup.
01:21We think this is a really dangerous decision by FIFA.
01:24It's a decision they took while ignoring its own human rights requirements because
01:29there are massive risks to hosting the tournament in Saudi Arabia.
01:32There are huge risks to migrant workers who risk exploitation, even death, working in
01:38the hot conditions.
01:40Risks to residents in Saudi Arabia who may be displaced from their homes to make way
01:45for huge infrastructure projects.
01:48I think FIFA essentially made its decision that Saudi Arabia would host the World Cup
01:54a little more than a year ago.
01:55This has been a predetermined process.
01:58FIFA has engineered the process to make sure there was only ever one bid.
02:02It has dropped its human rights requirements essentially in practice during that time and
02:08put them aside.
02:09It declared that Saudi Arabia was only a medium risk for human rights, where in fact we know
02:14that these tournaments are so vast and so expensive now to do that often it is only
02:20countries with a lack of accountability and with vast amounts of resources they can use
02:26who are able to afford to host a World Cup by itself.
02:31So yes, I think this would be a continuing trend and that is a big risk for football.
02:37It's a risk for human rights.
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