FIFA have been accused of a “dereliction of duty” after signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with Aramco, which sees football’s governing body further strengthen its ties with Saudi Arabia.
FIFA have embraced Saudi Arabia over the past few years, with president Gianni Infantino becoming friendly with crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Middle Eastern country was effectively handed the rights to host the 2034 World Cup after FIFA quietly altered its rules – and the governing body has now opened up its coffers to Saudi oil money.
Aramco – the world ’s largest fossil fuel company which is 98.5 per cent owned by the Saudi state – has signed a four-year contract to become a major global partner of FIFA, meaning it will be front and centre at the men’s 2026 World Cup and women’s World Cup in 2027. According to the announcement, the deal sees the two come together to “build on a shared commitment to innovation and development”.
But the news has been met by dismay from environmental campaigners, who labelled Saudi Arabia as the world’s worst sportswasher in November. Aramco is rated as the dirtiest fossil fuel company in the world, having produced the most emissions of any company since the Paris climate agreement in 2015, while it also lags behind its competitors on its climate pledges. Aramco says it has "one of the lowest upstream carbon footprints in the industry".
But The Centre for Climate Reporting has personally accused Bin Salman of “overseeing a sweeping global investment program designed to counteract the world’s efforts to reduce demand for oil and tackle climate change”. FIFA’s deal therefore not only shows its endorsement of Saudi Arabia, but also its disregard for action against climate change.
“By allowing Saudi Aramco to attach its brand to its showpiece World Cup tournaments, FIFA are granting them the opportunity to normalise dirty fossil fuels to billions of fans at a time when the world needs to stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible,” said Frank Huisingh of Fossil Free Football. “Fans want FIFA to take serious climate action, rather than sell out to the world’s biggest polluters.”
Freddie Daley, from the Badvertising campaign, added: “FIFA is responsible for the future of football and its global fanbase, but this deal is a complete dereliction of that duty. It could not be simpler: if Saudi Aramco’s production plans go ahead then football faces an increasingly perilous future, where large parts of the planet will be completely inhospitable to the game.
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“Instead of trying to build a world where football can be a truly global game, FIFA is taking cash from a company that is condemning humanity to more heat, more floods and less football.”
The sponsorship deal is the latest in a long list of moves by Saudi Arabia to ingratiate itself in the world of sport. As well as taking over Newcastle, creating LIV Golf and funding the lavish spending to lure high-profile players to the Saudi Pro League through its Public Investment Fund, a recent report by Play the Game revealed the country has more than 300 sponsorship deals in place across sport.
The fact that Aramco is so closely tied to the Saudi state means that FIFA has opened itself up to accusations that it has endorsed the country.
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