‘Women’s teams are not scared to stand up for what they believe in’
More than 100 professional women’s footballers have signed an open letter urging Fifa to drop the Saudi oil giant Aramco as a sponsor.
The letter calls the sponsorship deal a ‘punch to the stomach’ to the sport.
Fifa announced the partnership with the Saudi Arabia state-owned firm earlier this year, with the deal set to run until 2027.
It gives the company sponsorship rights to the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup in 2028.
Players from 24 different countries have called on the world governing body to reconsider the deal on humanitarian and environmental grounds.
Over the last few years, Saudi Arabia has been accused of investing in sport and using high-profile events to improve its reputation – a practice labelled ‘sportswashing’.
One of the signatories is Manchester City and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema who told the BBC: “I think as footballers, and especially as women’s footballers, we carry the responsibility to show the world and the next generation what is right.
“I think this sponsorship is not right for what Fifa stands for, but also what we as women footballers stand for.
“Fifa always shout that they want the game to be inclusive, and they want the game to lead by example. Well, if so, then make sure that you align with sponsorships that are leading by example.”
However, Fifa defended the partnership and stressed that sponsorship revenues were reinvested in the women’s game at all levels.
England defender Niamh Charles is also among the signatories as are the captains of Canada and Italy’s national teams.
The players uniting against the sponsorship have more than 2,300 international caps between them.
Meanwhile, Danish international Sofie Junge Pederson said: “We would like Fifa to replace Saudi Aramco with other sponsors whose values align more with gender equality, human rights and a safe planet for everyone.
“Then we also suggest that they create a committee with player representation who can be part of deciding which sponsors should be chosen [in the future].”
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The country has been criticised for its human rights violations, women’s rights abuses and the criminalisation of homosexuality.
Furthermore, independent think tank Carbon Tracker says Aramco is ‘the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitter’.
Aramco already has sponsorship deals with Formula One, golf’s Ladies European Tour and is a partner of the International Cricket Council.
The campaign is being supported by the organisation Athletes of the World which brings together sportspeople to advocate on such issues as climate change.
Miedema threatened that failure to address the issue could result in further action from the players.
She said: “I think you’ve seen over the past couple of years that women’s teams are not scared to stand up for what they believe in.
“You’ve seen boycotts from numerous teams, obviously recently, like with the America team, with the Canadian team, everyone is very open and willing to share their opinions.
“That shows you that going forward, there will be a lot of attention and there will definitely be things happening around the World Cup.”
