As the world’s largest governing body of soccer, FIFA is no stranger to controversy.
Corruption scandals have plagued the institution, and it has faced gender pay gap-related criticisms, too. Yet FIFA may finally get some good press after their latest appearance in the headlines: The organization is taking a stand for women’s rights in Iran and coming up with results.
CNN reports that Iranian women will now be permitted to attend professional soccer matches, from which they were previously barred. This comes after FIFA pressured Iran in a June letter, demanding the change in light of a tragic incident involving the death of a female fan denied entry to a match in Tehran.
As the host of the World Cup, FIFA sits in a precarious position. It must work with a diverse group of qualifying countries from across the world, countries in various stages of development with varying forms of government, from tyrannical to authoritarian to democratic. So, too, it must work with countries with varying levels of respect for human rights.
It would be naive for FIFA to issue blanket bans on World Cup participation based on first-world human rights standards, or, unfortunately, much of the globe would be disqualified. However, it should still use its considerable economic and societal clout to encourage countries to reform their barbaric or harmful practices.
This approach appears to have paid dividends, in a small way, in Iran. But FIFA should go even further.
For example, FIFA’s ability to select a host country for their quadrennial World Cup tournament gives them enormous economic leverage. According to U.S. Soccer, hosting the 2026 World Cup will bring in up to $5 billion in economic activity to North America. However, the Arab nation of Qatar is set to host the 2022 tournament.
This is a bizarre selection: Qatar criminalizes homosexual activity and rampantly violates the rights of women. FIFA allowed Russia to host the 2018 World Cup, their rampant suppression of political dissidents and ongoing anti-gay abuses in Chechnya apparently not prohibitive.
This seems foolish. FIFA has enormous economic weight, and it should use its influence to promote human rights, even at a bare minimum level. It should attach basic human rights requirements to host country eligibility.
As we’ve seen in Iran, sports can provide more than just entertainment — they can lead to real change, too.
