Matildas stars Aivi Luik and Alex Chidiac are among 106 professional women footballers to have signed a letter calling for FIFA to end a “stomach punch” partnership with Saudi-owned oil company Aramco.
In a letter to president Gianni Infantino, the letter has called on the body to “reconsider” the partnership “in light of Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations, especially towards women”.
In April, FIFA announced the Aramco sponsorship would run until the end of 2027, through the next men’s and women’s World Cups.
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Aramco is 98.5 per cent Saudi state-owned, and has a history of lobbying to delay climate action. FIFA pledged in November 2021 to halve its carbon emissions by 2030, and reach net zero by 2040.
According to Carbon Tracker, a British-based not-for-profit, Aramco is “the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitter”.
Among the signatures are the current skippers of the Canadian, Italian and Croatian national teams, as well as former captains of the US and Afghani sides. The players have more than 2300 caps between them.
The letter, titled ‘Aramco sponsorship is a middle finger to women’s football’, also pointed out the significant representation of LGBTQ+ players in the women’s game. Same-sex relationships remain heavily criminalised in Saudi Arabia.
“The Saudi authorities trample not only on the rights of women, but on the freedom of all other citizens too,” the letter reads.
“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?”
The letter also accused FIFA of “selling its principals” by taking the men’s World Cups in 2018 and 2022 to Russia and Qatar respectively. The 2026 men’s World Cup will be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico, and the women’s World Cup a year later in Brazil.
“Exactly a year ago, many of us came together to play at the pinnacle of our sport in the Women’s 2023 World Cup,” the letter continued. “The inclusivity and sustainability of that World Cup set a new standard for football, and one which FIFA should be looking to build on.
“Instead of a step forward, having Saudi Aramco as the sponsor for the next World Cup in 2027 would be a stomach punch to the women’s game, undermining decades of work from fans and players around the globe.
“A corporation that bears glaring responsibility for the climate crisis, owned by a state that criminalises LBGTQ+ individuals and systematically oppresses women, has no place sponsoring our beautiful game.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet.
“We also propose the establishment of a review committee with player representation, to evaluate the ethical implications of future sponsorship deals and ensure they align with our sport’s values and goals.”
Aramco is also a “premier partner” of the ICC, and has significant investment within Formula 1 – including title sponsorship of the Aston Martin team.