FIFA President Gianni Infantino must tell member associations gathering tomorrow at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, how he will ensure that the world’s biggest sporting tournament does not become a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices, Amnesty International said today.
“With just six weeks until the 2026 World Cup kicks off, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has yet to publicly outline how fans, journalists and local communities will be safe from arbitrary detention, mass deportations and crackdowns on free expression. This FIFA Congress should be the moment he does so, and the global football community must receive more than empty platitudes,” Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International said.
It is time for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to finally tell us how human rights will be protected at the World Cup.
Steve Cockburn, Head of Economic and Social Justice at Amnesty International
“With reports that FIFA is still considering whether to ask President Trump to halt cruel ICE raids during the World Cup, it is incredible that Gianni Infantino is yet to make this call in order to protect everyone connected with the tournament. In 2025 alone, 500,000 people were deported from the USA amidst a nationwide human rights emergency. This cannot continue.”
Last month, Amnesty International published a report detailing significant threats to human rights, as well as risks to fans, players, journalists, workers and local communities in all three host countries – not least those stemming from abusive and deadly US immigration policies, which have resulted in a surge of unlawful arrests, mass detentions and deportations.
“Fans should be able to enjoy the ‘safe, welcoming and inclusive’ tournament promised by FIFA. Yet, in the USA, immigration policies continue to pose a severe threat, while discrimination and restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful protest are in place across all three host countries,” Steve Cockburn said. “It is time for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to finally tell us how human rights will be protected.”
The post Global: Gianni Infantino must use FIFA congress speech to commit to a World Cup free from deportations, detentions and repression appeared first on Amnesty International.