“Why Saudi Arabia is unfit to host FIFA World Cup —ITUC-Africa”

The International Trade Union Confederation Africa (ITUC-Africa) has called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to oppose Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, citing a history of human rights abuses toward migrant workers.

ITUC-Africa, which represents 18 million workers across 52 African nations, says granting the Kingdom hosting rights would condone widespread exploitation of migrant laborers, especially those from Africa.

“Whosoever tramples on the rights of a worker anywhere in the world is directly asking us to speak out and demand justice,” said Comrade Akhator Joel Odigie, the ITUC-Africa General Secretary.

Apparently, the above statement underpins ITUC-Africa’s strong protest, urging CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe to shield African migrant workers from further abuse by opposing the bid.

Contained in a letter to CAF, ITUC-Africa describes Saudi Arabia as a country where African migrant workers “endure severe exploitation and abuse.” The letter warns that hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia would likely heighten these issues, casting a shadow over the prestigious tournament with systemic labor injustices…

ITUC-Africa also points to FIFA’s own Human Rights Policy, which commits to upholding human rights across all operations, and argues that hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia would violate these standards….