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‘This sponsorship is much worse than an own goal for football’ – women footballers call out deal
Over 100 professional women footballers have signed an open letter calling on the global football governing body FIFA to end a sponsorship deal with state-owned Saudi Arabian oil and gas company, Aramco.
The letter, orchestrated by Athletes of the World, was signed by over 120 professional women footballers from 25 countries and included captain of the Canadian National Women’s Team Jessie Fleming; former captain of US National Women’s Team Becky Sauerbrunn; and Denmark’s Sofie Junge Pederson.
Earlier this year, FIFA signed a four-year deal with Aramco, which is 98.5% state-owned. Aramco will sponsor major tournaments including the men’s 2026 World Cup (which is set to take place across Canada, Mexico and the US) and the Women’s World Cup in 2027, in Brazil.
The letter has criticised the deal, and said: “Saudi authorities have been spending billions in sports sponsorship to try to distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation, but its treatment of women speaks for itself.”
“As well as funding the Saudi regime, Aramco is one of the biggest polluters of the planet we all call home."
It is not only human rights abuses and the treatment of LGBTQ+ citizens that the signatories have called out, but also the impact on the planet caused by major oil companies.
“As well as funding the Saudi regime, Aramco is one of the biggest polluters of the planet we all call home. In taking Aramco’s sponsorship, FIFA is choosing money over women’s safety and the safety of the planet – and that’s something we as players are standing against, together,” said Canada’s Fleming.
The letter further commented: “As the largest state-owned oil and gas company in the world, Saudi Aramco is one of the corporations which is most responsible for burning football’s future. Grassroots football across the world is being smashed by extreme heat, drought, fires and floods, but as we all pay the consequences Saudi Arabia rakes in its profits, with FIFA as its cheerleader.”
“As the largest state-owned oil and gas company in the world, Saudi Aramco is one of the corporations which is most responsible for burning football’s future."
It is not the first time Sofie Junge Pederson and Jessie Fleming have been part of a group of women footballers to consider climate change when signing deals and organising events. Ahead of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Pederson and Fleming were among 44 players that advocated for reducing carbon footprints to be a key criterion in the bidding process for major tournaments.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the fafe future of our planet,” the letter read.
“This sponsorship is much worse than an own goal for football: FIFA might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it alight. Our job as professional players has been a dream for us and is a dream for the girls who will be the players of the future. We deserve so much better from our governing body than its allyship with this nightmare sponsor.”
Image: Daieuxetdailleurs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons