Over 100 professional female footballers from 24 countries have sent an open letter to the International Football Association Board (FIFA), which is sharply criticized. Among the authors of the letter is Danish national team player Sofie Junge Pedersen. The players are dissatisfied with a sponsorship agreement that Fifa and President Gianni Infantino have made with Saudi Aramco.
- Dear President Infantino. The Saudi Aramco sponsorship agreement is a long-shot for women's football, the female footballers begin their letter.
Saudi Aramco is an oil company owned by Saudi Arabia. The footballers are dissatisfied that the agreement has been made with a country that does not respect human rights and oppresses women. Furthermore, the female footballers believe that an agreement with an oil giant sends a bad signal in the fight for a better climate.
- This sponsorship agreement is not just an own goal for the sport of football. Fifa might as well pour oil on the pitch and set it on fire, the players write in the letter.
- Our job as professional players has been a dream for us and is for all the girls who will become the players of the future. We do not benefit from our supreme organization allying itself with this nightmarish sponsor.
FIFA announced in April that the federation had signed a four-year agreement with Saudi Aramco, which is set to become one of the sponsors of the 2026 men's World Cup and the women's World Cup the following year. According to Fifa, the agreement will benefit women's football financially.
- Fifa values the cooperation with Aramco and the federation's many other commercial partners, a Fifa spokesperson told Reuters.
Works for a club with sponsors from Qatar
Sofie Junge herself plays for Italian club Inter, which has an agreement with two sponsors from Qatar, who have also been criticized for not respecting human rights. She defends her choice of Inter by saying that it is difficult to be completely independent of sponsorships from countries that violate human rights.
- I have chosen to stay in this industry, where we can be used for good or bad, but at the same time I am determined to use my voice, she tells Politiken.
- It is important to me that regardless of who is the sponsor, it simply cannot deprive me of the right to talk about human rights violations and argue that something should be done in this area.
/ritzau/
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