Women’s soccer players ask FIFA to cut ties with oil giant Saudi Aramco | CNN

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More than 100 soccer players from the women’s game have signed an open letter to FIFA, urging the world’s governing body to end its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil and gas company Aramco. .

In April this year, FIFA announced a four-year global deal with the state-owned oil giant, giving it the rights to sponsor the 2026 Men’s World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The letter, signed at publication by 108 current and former players from around the world, called the deal a “slap in the gut” for the women’s game, citing its human rights record. of Saudi Arabia.

Published on advocacy group Athletes of the World’s website, the letter was signed by several high-profile players such as Manchester City player Vivianne Miedema and former USWNT manager Becky Sauerbrunn.

“The Saudi authorities are not only violating the rights of women, but also the freedom of all other citizens,” the letter addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

“Imagine LGBTQ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, are expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the country’s state-owned oil company puts the relationships that they What is the crime and the values ​​they stand for?”

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia, although last year, the government said it welcomed LGBTQ tourists.

Miedma told the BBC: “I think that as football players, especially as female players, we have a responsibility to show the world and the next generation what is right.

“I think this support is not only right for what FIFA stands for, but also what we as football players stand for.”

When asked about the open letter, a FIFA spokesperson told CNN Sport that the governing body “values ​​its partnership with Aramco and its many (other) commercial and rights partners.”

It added: “FIFA is an inclusive organization with many business partners who also support other football and other sports organizations.

“The sponsorship money raised by FIFA is being put back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football is increasing, including for the historic 2023 FIFA World Cup and its new approach to distribute.”

CNN has reached out to Aramco and Saudi Arabia for comment.

Saudi Arabia has previously pushed back against accusations of “sportsmanship,” which involves countries using high-profile sports to project a positive image of their country around the world, often to draw attention away from alleged wrongdoing. .

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman once said he was “not tired” of the country’s investment described as a game-wash.

“No, if washing sports will increase my GDP by one percent, I will continue washing sports,” the crown prince said in an interview with Fox News that was broadcast in 2023.

As well as human rights concerns, the open letter questions Aramco’s environmental impact on the world, saying the company is “one of the companies most responsible for burning the future of football.”

Saudi Aramco is the largest oil and gas company in the world by revenue, value and production volume. Last year, it produced an average of 12.8 million barrels of oil per day, more than any other company. US oil and gas companies combined, however, produce more than Saudi Arabia, according to a 2023 analysis from the US Energy Information Administration.

“Football games around the world are destroyed by extreme heat, drought, fires and floods, but while we all pay the results that Saudi Arabia gets from its profits, and FIFA as its leader,” the character’s letter reads.

The company already has existing partnerships in Formula 1 and women’s golf.

Aramco says on its website it is “committed to protecting the environment” while achieving “our goals of greater efficiency and cost competitiveness.”

Towards the end of 2021, the company released its first emissions target, promising to achieve “zero emissions by 2050.

However, last year, the independent think tank Carbon Tracker called Aramco “the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter” and said it “has little commitment to the level of sky among the major listed oil and gas companies.”

“We urge FIFA to re-evaluate this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with other suppliers whose values ​​are in line with gender equality, human rights and a secure future for our planet,” the letter concludes.

“We are also proposing the creation of a review committee with player representation, to assess the impact of future sponsorship deals and ensure they align with the values ​​and goals of our sport.”

In a statement to CNN, FIFA said its Congress approved “seven standing committees for the women’s game at all levels, including the Women’s Players Committee” in May.