After news of the UAE decision broke, the Sports & Rights Alliance (SRA), a global coalition of human rights organisations, trade unions, our colleagues from Football Supporters Europe and other NGOs, raised significant concerns, singling out the lack of any human rights impact assessment and stakeholder involvement.

At Chelsea Pride, we echo this criticism.

... human rights groups have documented serious human rights violations by the UAE government, including labour abuses, mass arbitrary detentions, mass surveillance, and torture, as well as severe restrictions on freedom of expression and women's and LGBTQ+ rights. Such violations could directly affect groups facilitating and participating in the FIFA CWC, including athletes and fans, workers servicing venues, and journalists, among others...

... there is an obligation for Chelsea to join this discussion and ask the football governing bodies some uncomfortable questions... the club cannot take part in such a competition without taking a clear stand for human rights...

we expect FIFA to publicly explain how they plan to safeguard any Chelsea fans who might be considering following their team to UAE, especially those from the LGBTQ+ community.