At Cop29 climate conference last month Sofie Junge Pedersen and Katie Rood again called Fifa to drop its sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco. Among more 130 female players who signed the open letter in October which he described as “a middle finger to women’s football” that will cause real damage to people and our planet.
Having published these letters, I spoke in their favor. I was hoping to join other professional male players. Women were praised for saying it, but their male counterparts did not follow suit. on Wednesday; FIFA that is prepared to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Men’s Camp.
The worlds of men’s and women’s football are very different. Women’s soccer has a history of players speaking out for equality and inclusion, within the game and beyond. Careers in it are marked by financial concerns, underinvestment and the need to pay attention to life beyond the smartphone. It was largely the players’ championship that got the women’s game where it is today.
The male experience of my generation is different. In general, academy footballers are encouraged to avoid external distractions and elite pros who talk about or pursue life outside the pitch, leave themselves vulnerable to hypocritical cries or be told to “focus on football” to start turning their attention to the moment of the event. We often deal with similar interests, there are more and more games to play and the selling price is just right.
But we care about what is happening on the pitch. From here, players can stand against the philosophy, campaign for mental health or donate privately to the charities of their parties. He was about to speak and led me to a stronger action of the air and against gambling sponsors. The better the mushroom, the more freely I can pursue what I care about the pitch.
This is why I spoke about the Fifa-Aramco treaty, which covers tournaments including the Men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup in 2017. Aramco one of the biggest-polluting companies of all time and still has no plan to transition away from fossil fuels.
At the Climate Conference, Aramco workers were part of a delegation from Saudi Arabia, a country that systematically blocks climate action and mechanisms to keep poorer countries “in” on their fossil fuels. Promoting his brand during the World Cup tells him that billions of barrels of oil is OK and helps build his power in Saudi Arabia and push the end of fossil fuels as far as he can.
Many players agree with me. They should start to worry about what the climate crisis means for the world they live in and for posterity, including one where it is difficult to play football. Harmful harm is involved in promoting these pollutants. It is important, then, to speak of what prevents us from speaking.
Those who talk about it will be told by many, from loyal fans, former players and prominent trolls, that they intend to shut down and decorate. Speaking to black players, he calls out racist abuse. Let us learn from the players who spoke together and had safety in numbers.
There is a certain arrogance of men in their youth that nothing ever changes, money rules and everyone can be bought. We must move on from the past. Nothing changes without people pushing. If players, fans, coaches, club executives and football associations come together, we are powerful. No football for us. Let’s build the game we want: one of fossil fuel free promotion that can be enjoyed long into the future.
If you talk about one thing, you are often asked why you don’t talk about something else. Or because your country is not perfect, you have no role to speak about the conditions in other countries. I have spoken regularly about issues in the UK; We think a lot of them and it’s really important. But future generations, suffering from climate crises today or some including Saudi human rights activists, do not prefer to silence us, because we or the countries we come from are not perfect.
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The climate crisis is a common problem: although it hurts some people much more than others, everyone will have to deal with the consequences.
The letter was signed by female players from 26 countries and interviews were held with Saudi officials, climate experts and others to inform them of the content and the players could throw people’s questions at them. If you are reading this player, please know that we have many allies ready to join us.
Footballers often have a relatively short career and it’s not in their best interest to limit their club leadership or future opportunities. Here it is good to know that the global union, Fifpro, always defends the rights of the players who speak.
The players told me that they believe in the cause, but are reluctant to say that they don’t want to lose their chances of a profitable move to Saudi Arabia. I’m sorry for the temptation to financially support your family for life, but since we never know what will happen in terms of career opportunities, we know that the climate crisis is dangerous and our voices go a long way. Do our grandkids really thank us for their financial security if it’s at the expense of our planet?
When we encourage male players to speak up, it must also be clear: the responsibility here lies with the football leaders who sell our sport to repressive governments and big polluters. Fifauefa and other football governing bodies must do more to ensure the game is well into the future. We can play a part in pushing him to get there. Female players have provided the blueprint – we just need to join them.
David Wheeler plays for Wycombe