Over 100 female soccer players have signed a letter to denounce the new FIFA partnership with a Saudi Arabian oil company.
In April, FIFA and Aramco signed a four-year sponsorship contract. Aramco is a Saudi oil company that is 98.5 percent owned by the Saudi Arabian state. It will sponsor the 2026 and 2027 World Cups.
106 women soccer players did not welcome this major partnership announcement. They signed a letter denouncing the sponsorship deal this week.
In this letter, they denounced the lack of human rights in Saudi Arabia, especially for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights. They also raised concerns over the oil company’s impact on climate change.
106 players from 24 countries said:
"This major sponsorship sends a middle finger in the women's game."
The women’s soccer players and fans have always fought for inclusivity in their sport. For them, having this new deal as a significant sponsor for the 2027 World Cup would be a stomach punch.
This issue already occurred during the last 2023 World Cup, when Visit Saudi sponsorship was removed from the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after a massive backlash from the fans and the players.
This last World Cup in the Down Under and the Land of the long white cloud has set a new standard: two million tickets have been sold and 570$ million in revenue for FIFA. This shows that sponsors can also use women's soccer to gain revenue.
This major success was an accomplishment for the work of fans and players from around the globe, for a safe place for everyone. Having Aramco as a sponsor for the 2027 tournament will be a punch in the guts for the community.
Especially for the LGBTQ+ players and fans that are mainly present in the women’s game.
In the letter, the players also denounced several women in jail because of freedom of speech in favor of bare women’s rights.
For example, Loujain AlHathloul, a women’s rights activist, was jailed in 2018 for asking for the right for "women to drive". She was released and is now under a travel ban for her and her family. Amnesty International has called FIFA for change in Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship.
Many women rights activists are being jailed and traveling from the government to ask for equal rights. Like Salma al-Shehab and Manahel al Otaibi, these activists remain imprisoned for peacefully speaking up.
This does not send a good message for future sponsorship deals. From the humanitarian and environmental perspectives, FIFA seems not to care about big money.
That was shown in the men's World Cup in Russia and Qatar. In both these tournaments, LGBTQ+ flags and representation were banned.
"Everyone knows that Saudi has been spending billions on sports sponsorship. That does not allow FIFA or, more specifically, the 37 people making these decisions in FIFA, which are only eight women. To take these deals. These are decisions made by mostly privileged men that will never be annoyed by the Saudi regime."
Climate change is also an issue that the players have brought. Aramco is one of the biggest fossil fuel producers in the world. This planet is currently in front of an environmental crisis.
According to the United Nations, the fossil fuels industry is the most significant contributor to the global crisis. It is nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions contributors and 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Therefore, FIFA should reconsider its deals with sponsors and establish a standard for human and environmental rights sponsors.
Saudi Arabia will indeed be named the 2034 host of the men's World Cup, and with this new sponsor, it will promote the state’s "Sportswasching".
Women's soccer players and fans around the globe have always fought for human rights and equity. Having this sponsor is a significant shift in this sport. Women’s games should not always follow the men’s game. Deals like this should not occur in the women’s game, which is what the 106 players denounced.
