VM i mänskliga rättigheter – rött kort till FIFA? - En rättsvetenskaplig utredning avseende ansvar för brott mot mänskliga rättigheter i samband med fotbolls-VM i Qatar
(2023) JURM02 20231Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract
- In November 2022, the men’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, a tournament organized by FIFA, commenced. During the preparations for the World Cup, there were numerous reports of violations of human rights, in particular regarding the rights of migrant workers. These violations have included reports of long and hot working days, low and unpaid wages and, in worst cases, deaths at the workplace. The aim of this work has been to examine the international responsibility of FIFA, a private actor, whose activities have led to human rights violations. Since FIFA, as a private actor, does not have an obvious role in international law, Switzerland’s responsibility has also been analysed. This is because FIFA is registered as a non-profit association... (More)
- In November 2022, the men’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, a tournament organized by FIFA, commenced. During the preparations for the World Cup, there were numerous reports of violations of human rights, in particular regarding the rights of migrant workers. These violations have included reports of long and hot working days, low and unpaid wages and, in worst cases, deaths at the workplace. The aim of this work has been to examine the international responsibility of FIFA, a private actor, whose activities have led to human rights violations. Since FIFA, as a private actor, does not have an obvious role in international law, Switzerland’s responsibility has also been analysed. This is because FIFA is registered as a non-profit association according to Swiss law. It has also been discussed whether a shared responsibility between FIFA, Switzerland and Qatar could be relevant.
What has emerged from the work is that the rules of international responsibility only seem to apply to states and international organizations. International responsibility for a non-profit association such as FIFA can therefore not be established in the current legal system. However, international responsibility can be established for Switzerland through a national court’s decision to reject a migrant worker’s claim for damages against FIFA. The action is attributable to the state and constitutes a breach of an international obligation of the state, more specifically article 6 ECHR.
The work was based on two human rights set out in the ECHR, namely the prohibition of slavery and forced labour (article 4) and the right to a fair trial (article 6). In relation to article 4, it was concluded that the migrant workers can be categorized as victims of forced labour, and perhaps even victims of human trafficking. However, there is no violation of the provision since it is territorially limited, and the current violations have taken place outside the territory of Switzerland. In relation to article 6, it was concluded that there is a violation of the provision because Swiss courts do not provide individuals access to legal remedy for disputes caused by a domestic association.
Finally, the work has also identified the legal challenges that arise in enforcing the international responsibilities of FIFA and Switzerland. The main challenge seems to be that international law has not evolved sufficiently to adequately reflect the development of society, where private actors have gained power and influence that can be equated with state sovereignty. This is problematic because responsibility of private actors is essential to maintain the effectiveness of the rules of international law. It is particularly important in the field of sport, an area characterized by private actors where allegations of human rights violations are often discovered. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- I november 2022 inleddes herrarnas fotbolls-VM i Qatar, en turnering som arrangeras av FIFA. Under förberedelserna inför fotbolls-VM rapporterades det från flera håll om kränkningar av framför allt migrantarbetares mänskliga rättigheter, bland annat i form av långa och varma arbetsdagar, låga och obetalda löner och i värsta fall dödsfall på arbetsplatserna. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att undersöka internationellt ansvar för FIFA, en privat aktör, vars verksamhet har lett till brott mot mänskliga rättigheter. Eftersom FIFA som privat aktör inte har en helt självklar roll i den internationella rätten har även Schweiz ansvar analyserats. Detta eftersom FIFA är registrerad som en ideell förening enligt schweizisk lag. Det har även... (More)
- I november 2022 inleddes herrarnas fotbolls-VM i Qatar, en turnering som arrangeras av FIFA. Under förberedelserna inför fotbolls-VM rapporterades det från flera håll om kränkningar av framför allt migrantarbetares mänskliga rättigheter, bland annat i form av långa och varma arbetsdagar, låga och obetalda löner och i värsta fall dödsfall på arbetsplatserna. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att undersöka internationellt ansvar för FIFA, en privat aktör, vars verksamhet har lett till brott mot mänskliga rättigheter. Eftersom FIFA som privat aktör inte har en helt självklar roll i den internationella rätten har även Schweiz ansvar analyserats. Detta eftersom FIFA är registrerad som en ideell förening enligt schweizisk lag. Det har även diskuterats huruvida ett delat an-svar mellan FIFA, Schweiz och Qatar kan vara aktuellt.
Det som har framkommit i arbetet är att ansvarsreglerna bara verkar gälla för stater och internationella organisationer. Ett internationellt ansvar för en ideell förening som FIFA kan alltså inte fastställas i rådande rättsläge. Internationellt ansvar kan däremot fastställas för Schweiz genom en nationell dom-stols beslut att avvisa en migrantarbetares skadeståndsanspråk mot FIFA. Agerandet är hänförbart till staten och utgör en överträdelse av en internationellt bindande förpliktelse, närmare bestämt artikel 6 EKMR.
Arbetet har utgått från två mänskliga rättigheter som fastställs i EKMR, närmare bestämt förbudet mot slaveri och tvångsarbete (artikel 4) och rätten till en rättvis rättegång (artikel 6). I förhållande till artikel 4 drogs slutsatsen att migrantarbetarna kan kategoriseras som offer för tvångsarbete, och kanske till och med offer för människohandel. Däremot föreligger ingen överträdelse av bestämmelsen eftersom den är territoriellt begränsad och aktuella kränkningar har skett utanför Schweiz territorium. I förhållande till artikel 6 drogs slutsatsen att det föreligger en överträdelse eftersom schweiziska domstolar inte tillhandahåller individer tillgång till rättslig prövning av tvister åsamkade av en inhemsk förening.
Avslutningsvis har arbetet också identifierat de rättsliga utmaningar som upp-står vid verkställandet av FIFA:s och Schweiz internationella ansvar. Den största utmaningen verkar vara att internationell rätt inte har utvecklats tillräckligt för att hålla jämna steg med samhällsutvecklingen, där privata aktörer har erhållit makt och inflytande som kan likställas med staters suveränitet. Detta är problematisk eftersom ansvar för privata aktörer är viktigt för att upprätthålla effektiviteten i den internationella rättens regler. Särskilt viktigt är det på idrottens område, ett område som kännetecknas av privata aktörer där det inte sällan uppdagas misstankar om brott mot de mänskliga rättigheterna. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9116329
- author
- Kullberg Holm, Ida LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- The World Cup in human rights – red card for FIFA? - A legal analysis of responsibility for human rights violations in relation to the World Cup in Qatar
- course
- JURM02 20231
- year
- 2023
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Folkrätt, public international law, rättsvetenskap, law, mänskliga rättigheter, human rights, EKMR, ECHR, internationellt ansvar, international responsibility, FIFA, fotbolls-VM, World Cup, Schweiz, Switzerland, Qatar
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9116329
- date added to LUP
- 2023-06-13 08:39:34
- date last changed
- 2023-06-13 08:39:34
@misc{9116329,
abstract = {{In November 2022, the men’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, a tournament organized by FIFA, commenced. During the preparations for the World Cup, there were numerous reports of violations of human rights, in particular regarding the rights of migrant workers. These violations have included reports of long and hot working days, low and unpaid wages and, in worst cases, deaths at the workplace. The aim of this work has been to examine the international responsibility of FIFA, a private actor, whose activities have led to human rights violations. Since FIFA, as a private actor, does not have an obvious role in international law, Switzerland’s responsibility has also been analysed. This is because FIFA is registered as a non-profit association according to Swiss law. It has also been discussed whether a shared responsibility between FIFA, Switzerland and Qatar could be relevant.
What has emerged from the work is that the rules of international responsibility only seem to apply to states and international organizations. International responsibility for a non-profit association such as FIFA can therefore not be established in the current legal system. However, international responsibility can be established for Switzerland through a national court’s decision to reject a migrant worker’s claim for damages against FIFA. The action is attributable to the state and constitutes a breach of an international obligation of the state, more specifically article 6 ECHR.
The work was based on two human rights set out in the ECHR, namely the prohibition of slavery and forced labour (article 4) and the right to a fair trial (article 6). In relation to article 4, it was concluded that the migrant workers can be categorized as victims of forced labour, and perhaps even victims of human trafficking. However, there is no violation of the provision since it is territorially limited, and the current violations have taken place outside the territory of Switzerland. In relation to article 6, it was concluded that there is a violation of the provision because Swiss courts do not provide individuals access to legal remedy for disputes caused by a domestic association.
Finally, the work has also identified the legal challenges that arise in enforcing the international responsibilities of FIFA and Switzerland. The main challenge seems to be that international law has not evolved sufficiently to adequately reflect the development of society, where private actors have gained power and influence that can be equated with state sovereignty. This is problematic because responsibility of private actors is essential to maintain the effectiveness of the rules of international law. It is particularly important in the field of sport, an area characterized by private actors where allegations of human rights violations are often discovered.}},
author = {{Kullberg Holm, Ida}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{VM i mänskliga rättigheter – rött kort till FIFA? - En rättsvetenskaplig utredning avseende ansvar för brott mot mänskliga rättigheter i samband med fotbolls-VM i Qatar}},
year = {{2023}},
}