GENEVA (AP) — Norway's soccer federation plans to abstain from giving its approval when Saudi Arabia is confirmed Wednesday as the 2034 World Cup host, saying FIFA has done too little to protect human rights around the tournament.
“FIFA’s own guidelines for human rights and due diligence have also not been adequately integrated into the process, increasing the risk of human rights violations,” Norway federation president Lise Klaveness said in a statement Tuesday.
FIFA's 211 member federations are holding an online meeting on Wednesday to rubberstamp the decision to give Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup and award the 2030 edition to a six-nation project led by Spain, Portugal and Morocco that will see games played on three continents.
“(Wednesday’s) vote is not about who gets the 2030 and 2034 World Cups — that has already been decided,” Klaveness said, adding that FIFA’s approval without an itemized vote “does not align with the principles of a sound and predictable governance system.”
FIFA shaped the contests last year to have just one bid each that faced limited outside scrutiny, as the soccer body and its president Gianni Infantino continued to build deeper financial and political ties to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has a massive construction plan for stadiums, hotels and transport for the World Cup set to rely heavily on migrant labor – raising concerns that FIFA is inviting a repeat of intense challenges and fatalities faced by workers in Qatar during preparations to host the 2022 edition. Norway and Klaveness also put pressure on FIFA and Qatar before that tournament.
FIFA's in-house evaluation of the Saudi bid rated the tournament an elevated risk though with "significant opportunities for positive human rights impact,” which activists claimed was a whitewash.
A FIFA-mandated Saudi report on human rights was commissioned from a legal firm closely tied to the kingdom, and it committed World Cup organizers only to work with state-approved domestic agencies plus the UN-backed International Labor Organization.
The ILO in Geneva, which worked with Qatar to reform the “kafala” system of labor rules, is currently investigating a formal complaint alleging abuses in Saudi Arabia filed by the global trade union Building and Wood Workers’ International.
Switzerland’s soccer federation said Tuesday it will support FIFA’s 2030-2034 decisions, but noted “some vagueness on certain points” of the Saudi strategy to protect rights and freedoms.
“We consider it the duty of FIFA and the organizers, in cooperation with renowned independent international organizations” beyond the ILO, Swiss federation president Dominique Blanc said, “to look closely, observe and monitor whether commitments and promises made to workers, teams, fans and media professionals are upheld.”
Ultimately, the Swiss soccer body said, it believed FIFA and World Cup organizers in Saudi Arabia “have learned the lessons from Qatar.”
However, FIFA has ignored advice to compensate workers in Qatar and their families, given by a panel of rights experts appointed last year under pressure from European soccer officials including Norway.
FIFA withheld the panel’s report for almost a year until publishing it Nov. 30, two days after announcing a 2022 World Cup legacy fund of $50 million that that does not give anything directly to the workers. The money is going to charity projects linked to UN agencies.
“The lack of predictability and open processes challenges trust in FIFA as the global custodian of football,” Klaveness said.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FIFA President Gianni Infantino' walks on stage during the draw for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
FILE - Norwegian soccer official Lise Klaveness speaks during the FIFA congress at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, file)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen’s funny bone was no laughing matter for a few fraught moments of another Bills victory.
Buffalo’s star quarterback, who is enjoying an MVP-caliber season, repeatedly shook his throwing hand and winced while trainers attended to his bruised right elbow during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-21 win over the New England Patriots.
“It took a good five to 10 minutes,” Allen said. “Just making sure, trying to get some blood flow back in there, some activation.”
Playing in frigid conditions — the temperature at kickoff was 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-13 Celsius) — didn’t help.
“When it’s cold like that, too, the more you leave it out, the number the whole hand gets," Allen said. "So it was a weird feeling. Just glad it’s gone now.”
Allen, who finished 16 of 29 passing for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception, appeared to get hurt on a 7-yard run. On Buffalo's next play following a false start penalty, Allen threw a wobbling third-down pass that fell several yards away from intended receiver Dalton Kincaid.
“I don’t know if it was the elbow or the helmet or the ground, but lost some feeling in my hand,” Allen said. “Just hit the funny bone nerve and went to throw the ball and just had no feeling in my hand. So it’s a tough one.”
Allen didn’t miss a snap, although backup Mitchell Trubisky warmed up on the sideline while Allen tried to shake off the injury.
Buffalo’s defense gave Allen extra time to regain feeling when Taron Johnson recovered Drake Maye’s backward lateral in the end zone for a touchdown. The Patriots then had a five-play drive before punting the ball back to the Bills.
“Fortunately, it was a longer drive where I was able to get some feeling and sensation back in the hand,” Allen said. “But if we got a sudden change, I probably wouldn’t have been out there.”
Allen completed two of three passes after being hurt. He then closed out the game with a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1. The win was the 75th of Allen’s career, tying him with Russell Wilson for the most by a quarterback in his first seven seasons.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said he watched Allen get checked out on the sideline and was confident in the training staff’s determination that Allen could return.
“They cleared him to go back and play,” McDermott said. “Our medical staff does a great job with, if it’s not safe for a player, they’re not going to put him back out there. I trust them, and they gave a green light to go back out there.”
This was the latest injury scare for Allen, who has proved durable while leading the Bills (12-3) to their fifth straight AFC East title. Buffalo still has an outside shot at chasing down Kansas City (14-1) for the top seed in the conference playoffs.
Allen spent four weeks on the injury report after hurting his non-throwing hand in the season opener but did not miss any time. He was evaluated for a concussion after hitting his head on the turf during a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 5. Allen later revealed he rolled his ankle on the play and did not sustain a head injury.
Last week, following a 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions, the Bills quarterback had X-rays on his throwing shoulder after taking what he described as “a funky fall.”
Curiously enough, Sunday wasn’t even the first time Allen hurt his funny bone. He clutched his lower right arm in the huddle after banging his elbow on a run during the Bills’ 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. That time, Allen experienced more pain than numbness.
“It was bad,” Allen said. “Feels like your hand’s on fire.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y.. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) congratulates Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) after a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y.. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
