Women’s footballers call on FIFA to end Saudi oil partnership: ‘We deserve so much better’

A letter signed by over 100 professional women’s footballers has called on FIFA to drop its partnership with Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco.

The partnership is criticised due to Saudi Arabia’s record on women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and climate action, with the letter accusing the deal of “undermining” the women’s game.

The open letter is addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and has been signed by 106 players from 24 countries including former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, Canada captain Jessie Fleming and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema.

Saudi Aramco is the country’s national oil company, with the majority of its shares owned by the Saudi government. It was announced as a “major worldwide partner” for FIFA in April. The partnership runs until the end of 2027 and Aramco will hold sponsorship rights for the 2026 men’s World Cup and 2027 women’s World Cup.

“FIFA’s announcement of Saudi Aramco as its ‘major’ partner has set us so far back that it’s hard to fully take in,” the letter reads.

“The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women, but on the freedom of all other citizens too. Imagine LGBTQ+ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, being expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the national oil company of a regime that criminalises the relationships that they are in and the values they stand for?”

Saudi Arabia has faced international criticism for its human rights record, which includes restrictions on women’s rights and the criminalisation of homosexuality, in addition to its treatment of dissidents and human rights activists.

U.S. and Portland Thorns defender Sauerbrunn said: “The fact that FIFA is aligning itself with a company and regime that treats women in this way is condemnable, and as female players at the top of our sport we’re using our voices to say this is not a partnership we can support. The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money.”

Saudi Arabia is also the world’s leading exporter of oil and Aramco is the world’s largest oil company. The Middle East nation has been accused of obstructing climate action and attempting to prevent the phasing out of fossil fuels.

Canada and Portland Thorns midfielder Fleming added: “As well as funding the Saudi regime, Aramco is one of the biggest polluters of the planet we all call home. In taking Aramco’s sponsorship, FIFA is choosing money over women’s safety and the safety of the planet — and that’s something we as players are standing against, together.”

FIFA states on its website that the governing body has “continued to strengthen its requirements and programmes related to environmental protection”, while Aramco states: “We consider environmental performance to be integral to sustainable business performance, and will continue to innovate and explore management solutions that minimize the environmental impact of our activities and products.”

The letter concludes: “We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet.”

In response to the open letter, FIFA emphasised that revenue generated through partnerships such as the Aramco deal is reinvested into the development of women’s game. World football’s governing body describes commercial revenue as the “primary driver” of revenue growth in the women’s game.

FIFA invested $499million (£383m) into the 2023 women’s World Cup, and the tournament attracted record attendance and viewership figures. FIFA’s investment included a $152m sum for teams and players at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand — three times more than had been offered for the 2019 World Cup in France.

In comparison, FIFA invested $1.8bn (£1.2bn) into the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners.

“Sponsorship revenues generated by FIFA are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football continues to increase, including for the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and its groundbreaking new distribution model. FIFA’s updated Women’s Football Strategy for 2023-2027 further highlights how commercial revenues are reinvested back into the development of the women’s game.”

Last year FIFA had been set to unveil Visit Saudi, the nation’s tourism board, as a sponsor for the 2023 women’s World Cup, but the proposal received backlash from players and was ultimately dropped.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

US Women's national team, Saudi Arabia, Sports Business, UK Women's Football, Women's World Cup

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