FIFA Receives 145 Petitions for Human Rights Abuse After Chelsea Won 2025 Club World Cup
- FIFA have reportedly received multiple petitions for human rights abuse after the 2025 Club World Cup
- The event held in the United States raised concerns among fans over a series of issues, including gun violence
- Premier League side Chelsea won the inaugural edition, beating French club Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final
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FIFA have reportedly received hundreds of petitions about different cases after hosting the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America.
The world football governing body expanded the tournament from the previous format, with clubs from all regions present in the one-match event.
Source: Getty Images
2021 UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea, who were the first side to qualify, emerged victorious after beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Cole Palmer scored twice and assisted striker João Pedro for the third goal as the Blues ran rampant in a dominant first half against Luis Enrique’s side.
The Londoners will wear a gold badge on their jersey for the next four years, and there are discussions to give them automatic qualification to the next edition, as noted by The Times.
Four countries or groups of countries have reportedly contacted FIFA over hosting the next edition, including 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
However, away from the $1bn TV rights from DAZN and other glitz and glamours in 2025, FIFA have bigger problems ahead of the World Cup in the same country next year.
FIFA receives 145 petitions for human rights abuse
According to The Athletic, FIFA have received 145 petitions of human rights abuse through its own grievance mechanism portal after the tournament.
The petitions were deemed sufficiently important for FIFA to have launched an investigation to address them, and it bordered on policies and environmental factors.
37 of those petitions related to federal policies and enforcement, including sighting of US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at stadiums.
The White House Task Force reportedly denied the presence of these officers in stadiums throughout the tournament, describing it as a case of fear-mongering.
Other complaints included extreme heat, discrimination and accessibility issues. There were cooling breaks for players during matches due to the weather.
Matches took longer than expected due to the weather, as games were stopped for 30 minutes if there were thunderstorms a few metres away from the stadium, with Chelsea's 4-1 win over Benfica in the Round of 16 lasting four hours and 38 minutes.
Source: Getty Images
There were also complaints over freedom of religion due to alleged lack of a prayer room at stadiums, workers' rights complaints, some for harassment and others for freedom of speech and excessive use of force by security officials.
These are some of the issues that have led to calls from fans to reconsider hosting the expanded FIFA World Cup in the same country next year, but with Gianni Infantino’s relationship with President Donald Trump and the long commitment to hosting the tournament, this is unlikely to happen.
US travel ban could affect World Cup
Legit.ng previously reported that the US travel bans could affect the FIFA World Cup next year after Trump rolled out tiered bans for 43 countries.
However, the US has clarified that athletes and their families and officials from such countries will be granted special entry visas if they qualify.
Source: Legit.ng
