Sepp Blatter among Fifa candidates ‘failing to engage on human rights’
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Version 0 of 1. Three of the four Fifa presidential candidates, including Sepp Blatter, have been accused by expert bodies of failing to provide detailed answers to questions on human rights and corruption that have dogged world football’s governing body in recent years. A recently formed coalition called the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) that includes Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Football Supporters Europe and Transparency International Germany wrote to all four presidential candidates last month asking a detailed series of questions on human rights and corruption issues. But of the four only the Dutch FA president, Michael van Praag, replied in detail. Blatter, the incumbent, made no personal commitment and replied with a statement from his office outlining the work it claims Fifa has done to tackle corruption. It also pointed to a revision of the bidding process relating to human rights, labour standards, sustainability and anti-corruption measures. The office of the Jordanian royal Prince Ali bin al-Hussein said he was too busy to reply personally but pointed to his previous statements and manifesto commitments. Luís Figo, the Portuguese former world footballer of the year, issued a brief statement expressing the need for a zero tolerance approach to human rights abuses, corruption and labour issues, but did not elaborate on how he would address the problems. The SRA challenged the candidates on whether they would address corruption, labour issues and other human rights concerns around the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups in the first 100 days of their presidency. They were also asked if they would use their influence as president to exert pressure on the Qatari authorities to bring the country’s labour laws into line with international standards and reform the kafala sponsorship system, which ties workers to their employer. The questionnaire pressed them on whether they would continue with governance reforms including the implementation of term limits, independent directors, integrity checks and transparency regarding remuneration of officials and decisions of the ethics committee. Eduard Nazarski, the director of Amnesty International Netherlands, which is a member of the SRA, said that despite the varying levels of detail the fact that all four had responded showed “it is no longer possible for Fifa to ignore the human rights impact of the World Cup and lack of transparency at the heart of world association football”. He added: “The key test now is whether -– whoever wins the election – they will deliver on these crucial issues. It’s easy to talk the talk and make broad commitments, but any claims that they will respect human rights and transparency will be meaningless if they don’t also walk the walk.” Both Fifa and the International Olympic Committee have come under growing pressure to use their influence to ensure that bidding nations meet minimum standards of human rights. Throughout Blatter’s 17-year tenure as Fifa president, the organisation has been repeatedly embroiled in scandal. The controversial bidding race for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and the presidential election that followed in 2011, with Blatter re-elected unopposed after Mohamed bin Hammam was banned over bribery allegations, were besieged by allegations of corruption and bribery. Yet Blatter has claimed that his reform process is almost finished and has reneged on a promise to stand down later this month in order to run for a fifth term as president. He has promised Qatar that the World Cup will definitely take place there in 2022 and claimed that the tournament would help improve conditions for migrant labourers, following an outcry in the wake of a series of Guardian investigations into the dire situation for hundreds of thousands of workers. Van Praag, who met Prince Ali and Figo in Nyon this week to draw up a strategy for the remaining weeks of the campaign ahead of the vote on 29 May, was most forthright in his call for new ethical standards. “In general there should be more attention to human rights in Fifa’s statutes,” he said. “I stand for a world football association that applies the highest ethical and moral standards. This means that Fifa itself must set a good example and ensure that these standards play a key role in awarding large tournaments.” He added that all World Cup contracts should contain a clause allowing Fifa to withdraw the tournament if certain standards were not met. Figo said: “Corruption, labour issues and other human rights are matters with which we should have zero tolerance to infringements. Human rights are not negotiable and they should be respected not only in sports but in all organisations and sectors of our society.” He said new bidding processes would take into account the views of “civil society stakeholders”. The statement from Blatter’s office said that the decision on future World Cup hosts would now be taken by the Fifa Congress rather than the executive committee, adding that term limits had been discussed but not yet enacted. The three challengers are expected eventually to pool their support in a bid to embarrass Blatter, who is a strong favourite to win a fifth term despite the scandals that have beset his time at the helm. |