Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action
Amnesty International USA also worried by US government’s role
Fifa risks becoming “a public relations tool of an increasingly authoritarian US government,” human rights organisations have warned as they call on football’s international governing body to do more to protect the rights of residents and supporters at next summer’s World Cup.
With concerns rising over the possibility of local communities and travelling fans being subjected to immigration raids or arbitrary detention during the tournament, the Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action from Fifa before Friday’s World Cup draw in Washington. The key demand is that Fifa “commit to ensuring effective protections against racial profiling, arbitrary detention, and unlawful immigration enforcement during the tournament”.
“While Fifa and host cities prepare for the World Cup, the Trump administration is escalating dangerous policies which put immigrant communities, foreign visitors and residents at risk,” said Jamil Dakwar, director of the human rights programme at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “The perception and impression that you get is that Fifa is dragging itself into becoming part of a public relations tool to normalise an increasingly authoritarian US government. That is a real concern and we’re very troubled about that.”
