Human rights|Human rights expert Kaari Mattila hopes that people would understand the big picture behind the World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Why does Saudi Arabia want to organize the soccer World Cup, Kaari Mattila?
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has created a massive sports washing machine. With the help of the World Cup, the country increases its regional and world political power. Saudi Arabia, for example, is one of those countries that have actively tried to undermine the UN’s ability to function as a joint organization of states and the treaty-based system between states. In addition, this will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s grip on its own people, after which there will be even less criticism and opposition to the exclusivity of the royal house.
What do you consider to be the most serious problem behind the decision?
With this, football will have strengthened the global crisis of democracy and human rights. The state of the rule of law and democracy, and with it the realization of human rights, has weakened in more than a hundred countries in recent years. Here we talk a lot about the bigger picture than football. When the World Cup is awarded to a country that is completely authoritarian and commits very blatant human rights violations, it also sends a message that these things are okay.
Two years ago, the World Cup in Qatar received severe criticism. How do these two countries resemble each other?
Both countries have similar human rights problems, such as serious labor exploitation and forced labor, serious problems with women’s rights, and significant violations of minority rights. In addition, civil society has been suppressed in both countries. Saudi Arabia also has the large-scale use of the death penalty against children as an individual human rights problem.
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Saudi Arabia wields much stronger regional and world political power than Qatar.
A Saudi Arabian soccer fan celebrated when the country was awarded the World Cup on December 11.
Why might Saudi Arabia be an even worse choice as host than Qatar?
I’m not taking a position on which is worse, but Saudi Arabia has more regional and world political power than Qatar, which is connected to the geopolitical game, for example, in the wider Middle East and Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is suspected of committing war crimes.
Saudi Arabia has promised to improve human rights issues through the competition process. Can promises be trusted?
Saudi Arabia certainly makes promises about, for example, changing the status of women and labor rights legislation. They want to win the PR war that is now starting. I’d bet that Saudi Arabia has already hired hundreds, if not thousands, of social media professionals to help it try to control the media conversation. However, very traditional human rights, such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, remain suppressed in practice, leaving the country’s own citizens unable to raise their voices.
Among other things, according to the Finnish Football Association, progress has already been made in human rights issues. How would you describe these?
Of course, some concrete reforms have been made in recent years, such as the fact that women are now allowed to vote. Such a fundamental human right was missing until 2015. But the law still stipulates that women cannot act freely without the consent of a male relative. From a human rights point of view, we do not look at, for example, whether women are allowed to participate in football matches, but whether they are allowed to function as independent members of society with equal rights compared to men. I wish people would look at the position of women more broadly, and not fall for this PR stunt.
Did the World Cup bring about changes in Qatar?
Media attention and the criticism and demands of international human rights organizations and the UN put pressure on Qatar, in the face of which the country made certain changes to its labor legislation. How those changes have been followed is another matter entirely. However, Qatar won that battle, as the Games were held and the criticism subsided after the Games.
Can anything good come from the World Cup in Saudi Arabia?
It would be really important for that media attention to remain the same two or five years after the Games. For example, now would be the right place to ask whether Qatar’s promises on workers’ rights have been fulfilled. For example, in China, the state only went in a more totalitarian direction during the two Olympics [kesäolympialaiset 2008 ja talviolympialaiset 2022] between. But if something good has to be sought, at least the sports federations and the general public will learn a lot from this, and problems can be brought to the fore. Perhaps the games in Saudi Arabia will open up an opportunity for a general increase in human rights awareness in those countries where independent media are able to highlight the background of the issues.
What does it say about the prevailing world political situation that the games are awarded to countries like this?
At the same time, this is about both football and much more. Because football is such a huge arena, it reflects the relationship between democracy and authoritarianism more broadly. And right now, that scale is tipping the wrong way. Awarding the World Cup to Saudi Arabia benefits all dictatorial and totalitarian states like Russia.
According to the Swedish Football Association, individual member countries practically did not have the opportunity to influence the selection of Saudi Arabia as the tournament host. Should the member states even try to intervene?
There are really cold winds blowing in the world right now, which seem to have caught Fifa by the neck, for example. Therefore, within the organization, there must also be those states that dare to open their mouths. It will hardly change anything, but holding that line reminds us that human rights, democracy and the rule of law matter.
What could the Finnish Football Association do in this situation?
Increase your own understanding of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and thoroughly think about your position in relation to the Games in a Nordic front. Football federations from democratic countries should not only look at individual issues, such as whether or not women’s rights are improving in Saudi Arabia. It is just one serious human rights problem in Saudi Arabia, but certainly not the only one. It would be good for the national football associations to understand the whole context, and what kind of power Saudi Arabia is seeking at the Games. It is a question of Saudi Arabia’s effort to strengthen its global economic and political power, which the various football federations will in this way unwittingly strengthen.
Correction on Sunday at 19:30: On Saturday 29.12, an incorrect version of Kaari Mattila’s interview was published. The following points have been corrected in the story:
Second answer: Clarified that the realization of human rights is based on the rule of law and democratic situations. It was also added that the case is about a bigger picture, when it previously read that in another picture.
Third answer: added that in addition to the use of labor, it is forced labor and that the death penalty is also aimed at children.
Fourth answer: deleted reference to Israel and Gaza. It was also specified that Saudi Arabia is suspected of committing war crimes. The article previously stated that Saudi Arabia has been involved in very serious violations.
Fifth answer: The answer read that Mattila presented his own assessment of trusting Saudi Arabia’s promises. More detailed, he guesses that Saudi Arabia has hired a lot of social media professionals.
Sixth answer: Added clarification that some reforms have been made in recent years. Also added to the section on enabling women to act as independent members of society is whether women have equal rights.
Seventh answer: Removed from the beginning of the answer that Qatar was destabilized with the help of media attention. It was clarified that in addition to media attention, both international human rights organizations and the UN put pressure on Qatar.
Eighth answer: Changed the word federations to sports federations and the word countries to the general public. Added clarification about countries with independent media at the end of the answer.
Ninth answer: Added sentence about dictatorial and totalitarian states at the end.
Tenth answer: Substituted “are getting” into the form seem to have got.
Last answer: Added to the first sentence information about what should be added to the understanding. The answer also said that it was one of a chain of human rights violations caused by Saudi Arabia. This has been corrected to say that it is a widespread human rights problem in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the section related to the “rapture” of Saudi Arabia has been corrected in the answer. It has been clarified that Saudi Arabia is seeking power and the word seduction has been replaced by the word contest.