To: FIFA Executive Committee members and U.S. Soccer Federation
Tell FIFA It’s Time for Reform
We call on you to support the establishment of an independent reform commission to help end the years of scandal at FIFA, soccer’s governing body. The commission would be led by a high-profile international personality of the highest integrity and would make recommendations on FIFA governance and rules.
The review should tackle corruption and human rights and gender discrimination issues and ensure that any country awarded the privilege to host the games must comply with strong workers’ rights commitments.
The review should tackle corruption and human rights and gender discrimination issues and ensure that any country awarded the privilege to host the games must comply with strong workers’ rights commitments.
Why is this important?
The scale of personal and institutional corruption within FIFA is staggering. In this toxic environment, workers’ rights and human rights are ignored when determining hosts for international events, including the World Cup, and female players are subjected to systemic discrimination and outdated sexist attitudes.
We have a game-changing shot at reform.
On July 20, FIFA’s Executive Committee will meet behind closed doors to determine the future of the organization—but the last thing we need is more secrecy. It is abundantly clear FIFA will not change on its own.
Only an independent reform commission can root out corruption, tackle long-standing issues with the lack of human rights criteria in tournament host selection, address workers’ rights issues in countries that have won the right to host the games like Qatar and Russia and end gender discrimination.
There is a desperate need to establish a transparent bidding process for potential hosts for international soccer events. This process must include human rights criteria, particularly labor rights. High-profile international events should promote the highest possible standards. They are enormously profitable, and the workers who make these events possible by constructing and maintaining critical infrastructure should share in that wealth.
An independent reform commission must ensure upcoming hosts Qatar and Russia respect labor rights. No one should ever lose their life constructing stadiums for high-profile international tournaments, yet thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, which will host the World Cup in 2022, are at risk. Under the country’s kafala system, migrant workers’ passports are confiscated upon arrival and these workers need their employer’s permission to leave the country. They are often housed in squalid conditions and work long hours in the incredibly hot climate without adequate rest, shade or water. Young, healthy construction workers are dying at an alarming rate. There also are serious labor concerns in Russia, the 2018 World Cup host. FIFA has the power to demand change and ensure workers on World Cup projects are not subjected to abuse, but for that to happen, we must change FIFA.
Reform also must address gender discrimination within FIFA. The gender pay gap is perhaps unsurprising considering FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s stated belief that what women’s soccer needs is tighter uniforms. It’s high time to hand this kind of outdated sexism a red card.
A new FIFA is within reach—but it’s up to us to win this once and for all.
We have a game-changing shot at reform.
On July 20, FIFA’s Executive Committee will meet behind closed doors to determine the future of the organization—but the last thing we need is more secrecy. It is abundantly clear FIFA will not change on its own.
Only an independent reform commission can root out corruption, tackle long-standing issues with the lack of human rights criteria in tournament host selection, address workers’ rights issues in countries that have won the right to host the games like Qatar and Russia and end gender discrimination.
There is a desperate need to establish a transparent bidding process for potential hosts for international soccer events. This process must include human rights criteria, particularly labor rights. High-profile international events should promote the highest possible standards. They are enormously profitable, and the workers who make these events possible by constructing and maintaining critical infrastructure should share in that wealth.
An independent reform commission must ensure upcoming hosts Qatar and Russia respect labor rights. No one should ever lose their life constructing stadiums for high-profile international tournaments, yet thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, which will host the World Cup in 2022, are at risk. Under the country’s kafala system, migrant workers’ passports are confiscated upon arrival and these workers need their employer’s permission to leave the country. They are often housed in squalid conditions and work long hours in the incredibly hot climate without adequate rest, shade or water. Young, healthy construction workers are dying at an alarming rate. There also are serious labor concerns in Russia, the 2018 World Cup host. FIFA has the power to demand change and ensure workers on World Cup projects are not subjected to abuse, but for that to happen, we must change FIFA.
Reform also must address gender discrimination within FIFA. The gender pay gap is perhaps unsurprising considering FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s stated belief that what women’s soccer needs is tighter uniforms. It’s high time to hand this kind of outdated sexism a red card.
A new FIFA is within reach—but it’s up to us to win this once and for all.