Robertson suggests Fifa rethinks Saudi sponsorship
Sport Minister Grant Robertson has suggested Fifa considers its commercial arrangements after human rights campaigners denounced Saudi Arabia’s reported sponsorship of this year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The Gulf state’s tourism board, Visit Saudi, will soon be unveiled as one of the tournament’s sponsors, according to reports in the UK. The World Cup is the largest women’s sports event in the world, and will be held in Australia and New Zealand for the first time this July and August.
Human rights group Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand said Saudi sponsorship would be ‘‘deeply disappointing’’ because of the state’s ‘‘egregious’’ human rights record. The group added it was particularly concerned because of Saudi Arabia’s reported denial of basic rights for women and girls.
Robertson said the Government wanted to ensure the tournament was ‘‘empowering for women and girls in sport’’.
‘‘When it comes to women’s sport here in New Zealand we have made tremendous progress and part of that has been making sure we are empowering women and girls in sport but also in life generally. I would like to think Fifa would understand that as well and when they are thinking about their commercial arrangements that they would factor that in,’’ Robertson said yesterday.
‘‘Ultimately it is a decision for Fifa; the football bodies that are part of Fifa, including NZ Football, have written to express their concern. That is where the decisionmaking sits. From our point of view we are focused on making sure we host a great tournament, and that we do empower women and girls to be active in sport and recreation.’’
NZ Football and Football Australia both said they were ‘‘shocked and disappointed’’, and neither had been consulted by Fifa.
In the letter, co-written by Football Australia chairperson Chris Nikou and NZ Football president Johanna Wood, they said a Saudi sponsorship deal would ‘‘severely tarnish the reputation’’ of the tournament, Associated Press reported.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Football Australia shut down questions to Australia players about the Saudi sponsorship deal at a squad announcement yesterday.
Amnesty International said the deal would fit a ‘‘deeper pattern of sportswashing to distract the world from Saudi Arabia’s appalling human rights record’’.
The National Party is also opposed to the sponsorship suggestion, with sport and recreation spokesperson Michael Woodhouse saying a country ‘‘with an appalling human rights record was a highly inappropriate sponsor’’ for a women’s World Cup.