Vivianne Miedema, one of the world’s leading women’s soccer stars, has joined with more than 100 other players in calling for FIFA to drop its major sponsorship deal with state-owned Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco.
The Gulf kingdom heavily restricts women’s freedoms, and same-sex sexual activity for both men and women is illegal there. LGBTQ people face a high risk of arrest and imprisonment, with capital punishment the maximum penalty.
FIFA, the game’s global governing body, announced in April that Aramco had become its “Worldwide Partner” on a deal running through to the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil.
The Saudi Arabian government and its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), owns more than 98% of the oil giant.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
The players’ open letter addressed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino is titled “Aramco sponsorship is a middle finger to women’s football” and cites the Saudi regime’s “brutal human rights reputation”, its criminalization of LGBTQ relationships and the oil company’s “glaring responsibility for the climate crisis” as reasons to cease the deal.
Last year, two women working for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation spoke to international media about the country’s interest in bidding to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. Saudi Arabia is already in line to host the men’s World Cup the previous year, being the sole bidder for the tournament.
Manchester City striker Miedema, who has won over 100 caps for the Netherlands and is dating Arsenal’s Beth Mead, her former teammate, says the Saudi sponsorship is “not right for what FIFA stands for, but also what we as women footballers stand for.”
Speaking to BBC Sport, she added: “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.”
Miedema is one of at least 14 out lesbian and gay players to sign the letter, which has been co-ordinated by a group called “Athletes of the World”. Within that LGBTQ representation, there are five players who featured at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup — Irish trio Diane Caldwell, Sinead Farrelly and Lily Agg; Australia winger Alex Chidiac; and New Zealand goalkeeper Erin Nayler.
The other eight out LGBTQ players who are signatories are also full internationals — Finland duo Linda Sällström and Tinja-Riikka Korpela; Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod; Scotland forward Lisa Evans; New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore; Belgium forward Ella Van Kerkhoven; Germany midfielder Paulina Krumbiegel; and Spain midfielder Maitane Lopez.
Former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, a long-time LGBTQ ally, has also signed the letter and said: “The rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money.”
She also highlighted the plight of women’s rights activists Manahel al-Otaibi and Salma al-Shehab, who are both serving lengthy jail terms in Saudi.
The letter addressed to Infantino mentions their sentences and those of other imprisoned women. It continues: “The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women, but on the freedom of all other citizens too.
“Imagine LGBTQ+ players, many of whom are heroes of our sport, being expected to promote Saudi Aramco during the 2027 World Cup, the national oil company of a regime that criminalises the relationships that they are in and the values they stand for?”
Before the 2023 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA shelved plans for Visit Saudi — the official tourism arm of Saudi Arabia — to be a major tournament sponsor. A backlash from players, including Miedema, and organizers led to that mooted deal being pulled.
In the letter concerning Aramco published Monday, the signatories submit three questions to FIFA.
“1. How can FIFA justify this sponsorship given the human rights violations committed by the Saudi authorities? 2. How can FIFA defend this sponsorship given Saudi Aramco’s significant responsibility for the climate crisis? 3. What is FIFA’s response to our proposal of the establishment of a review committee with player representation?”
In a statement issued to media outlets including the BBC, FIFA said it “values its partnership with Aramco” and that it is “an inclusive organisation with many commercial partners also supporting other organisations in football and other sports”.
FIFA added: “Sponsorship revenues generated by FIFA are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football continues to increase, including for the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and its groundbreaking new distribution model.”
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