A group of international lawyers filed a formal complaint with FIFA on Thursday, claiming that the football agency failed to uphold its human rights policy with the 2034 World Cup host Saudi Arabia.
FIFA's former anti-corruption consultant Mark Pieth, Swiss lawyer Stefan Wehrenberg and British lawyer Rodney Dixon filed documents for complaint reports using FIFA's own online portal.
In December, when Saudi Arabia was identified as the 2034 host, their proposal was ignored, and they ignored suggestions on human rights regulations, and their proposal was identified as the 2034 host by unparalleled bidders.
"As emphasized in this complaint, in Saudi Arabia, widespread human rights violations are still underway, and FIFA has taken no steps to address the construction of the World Cup," the lawyer said in a 30-page document.
"Instead, this seems to be the business as usual, without any changes," the complaint said before FIFA held its first annual conference since winning the victory of the 211 member federation of members.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will arrive in Congress just before Paraguay after joining U.S. President Donald Trump's Congressional visit to Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich kingdom has repeatedly stated that it is adding freedom to modernize its socially and economically as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
Since the 2018 World Cup, Infantino has linked FIFA's finances and politics with the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Infantino and Trump then met in neighbouring Qatar on Wednesday, and the host of the 2022 World Cup faced a decade of rigorous scrutiny due to his human rights record and treatment of migrant workers needed to build stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament.
Saudi Arabia has begun a similarly sprawling architectural plan for the 2034 Championship, which has more teams, more games and requires more stadiums, including a more luxurious design than Qatar’s eight games.
"Despite Saudi Arabia's shocking human rights record, including violations related to freedom of expression, arbitrary arrests, detention and abuse, the rights of immigration and women's rights, it was elected as the next host country," the lawyer's complaint said.
FIFA's human rights policy, published in 2017, calls for bids for the 2026 World Cup - co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico to "respect international human rights and labor standards in accordance with UN guidelines."
FIFA detailed alleged abuses by migrant workers in a recent letter to Human Rights Watch, which FIFA said “a firm commitment to protecting and promoting human rights in its actions.”
The lawyer's complaint urged FIFA to see "the implementation of FIFA's obligations under its policy in Saudi Arabia's meaningful reforms, which remains an opportunity for meaningful reforms."