Curbing free speech at WC a ‘betrayal of the spirit of football' – fans' chief
The United States is co-hosting the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, with FIFA's Club World Cup starting in the US on Saturday.
Policies adopted by the US government under the presidency of Donald Trump have raised concerns among human rights group, particularly around immigration and the right to peacefully protest.
Civil unrest has occurred in Los Angeles days before the Club World Cup is due to start (Eric Thayer/AP)
A travel ban for citizens of 12 countries – including World Cup qualifiers Iran – came into effect earlier this week, while the federal government's response to civil unrest sparked by immigration raids in Los Angeles has also drawn criticism from human rights groups and California governor Gavin Newsom.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, a city in Los Angeles County, will host six matches in the Club World Cup starting from Sunday, and the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, also in Los Angeles County, will host eight matches at next summer's World Cup.
The Sport and Rights Alliance is concerned at what it sees as 'escalating crackdowns' on freedom of expression by the US government, particularly protests related to Palestine.
Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said: 'Fans travel to the World Cup to celebrate and express their passion and any attempt to curtail our fundamental rights, including the right to free speech, is a betrayal of the spirit of football.
'We're particularly concerned about the potential for selective enforcement and discrimination against fans based on our perceived political views or national origin.
'FIFA must obtain the necessary guarantees to ensure fans from all over the world are able to safely travel and attend the games.'
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena – a city in Los Angeles County – will host six matches in the Club World Cup (Carlos Delgado/AP)
The US government has said the travel ban will not affect players or support staff of any qualified nations, but it will make it impossible for fans to travel from Iran to watch the team.
Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said: 'FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament's integrity and use its leverage with the US government to ensure that the rights of all qualified teams, support staff, media and fans are respected as they seek to enter the United States, regardless of nationality, gender identity, religion or opinion.'
FIFA and the US State Department have been contacted for comment.
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