Australian players’ union and LGBTQ+ advocates join criticism of Saudi sponsorship of Women’s World Cup

Professional Footballers Australia says Fifa has consistently been unwilling to uphold its stated human rights commitments

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Australia’s professional footballers union and LGBTQ+ advocates have criticised Fifa for accepting sponsorship from the Saudi Arabian tourism authority for the Women’s World Cup later this year, with one group saying the event is now being sponsored by a country where many players and fans would be persecuted for being themselves.

Fifa is expected to confirm that Visit Saudi will join international brands such as Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa in attaching its name to the 32-team tournament that will kick off in front of an expected 50,000 supporters at Auckland’s Eden Park on 20 July.

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