More than 100 professional footballers from 24 countries have demanded the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to end the sponsorship contract with the Saudi oil company Aramco.
“Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars on sports sponsorship to distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation,” says an open letter written by, among others, German international Paulina Crombiegel of Juventus of Torino and former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Eren Naehler of New Zealand. . She said the treatment of women in the country speaks for itself.
Aramco is the largest oil company in the world and more than 90% of it is owned by the Saudi state. FIFA announced the partnership with the company in April this year. The contract, which runs until 2027, gives Aramco, among other things, sponsorship rights to the 2026 Men's World Cup and the 2027 Women's World Cup.
FIFA defends sponsorship
A FIFA spokesperson defended the collaboration when asked and explained: “FIFA is a complementary organization with many commercial partners who also support other organizations in football and other sports.”
Contracts with Aramco and other companies will also benefit women's football, as “FIFA's sponsorship revenues are reinvested in sport at all levels, and investment in women's football continues to increase.”
However, 106 female footballers from all continents criticized that the partnership with a company from Saudi Arabia “sets back too far” the progress and developments in women’s football in recent years.
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