March 15 – Norwegian club Frederikstad have voted to pressure their national federation to boycott the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia that FIFA is expected to award to the Arab Kingdom this year because there are no other bidding candidates.
Norwegian fans have mobilised again to put the hosting of the World Cup by countries with a tainted human rights record in the Middle East on the agenda.
At the annual meeting of Frederikstad, a leading Norwegian club returning to the top flight after years in the wilderness, Jan Fredrik Hagen represented the voice of supporters and said that “everything we learned about human rights violations in Qatar also applies to Saudi Arabia.”
“Fredrikstad FC must take a clear stance towards the Norwegian Football Federation against the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. The club must either itself put forward a proposal at the annual FA meeting that Norway should refrain from participating in the championship or support similar proposals from other clubs,” stated a proposal that was adopted following a 38-36 vote.
“We are not saying that we will not take a clear stand against the World Cup in Saudi Arabia but we want some time to get more information about recommended measures before we decide on a boycott,” said club chairman Jostein Lunde.
In the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, Norwegian club Tromso club spoke out against human rights abuses in Qatar, prompting a wider debate in Norway and beyond, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino saying that migrant workers gained pride from hard work. At a news conference, Infantino infamously said that he felt “like a migrant worker”.
Ultimately, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) voted against a boycott of Qatar at an extraordinary assembly following an enquiry by an NFF committee. The NFF tasked chairwoman Lise Klaveness to deliver a speech at the FIFA Congress, which she did, highlighting labour rights issues faced by migrant workers and discrimination of the…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/03/15/norwegian-club-lobby-federation-agm-boycott-saudi-arabia-2034/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-03-15 05:33:20
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