Spanish lawmakers call for review of Morocco’s role in 2030 World Cup

Spain’s left-wing Sumar coalition has submitted a non-binding motion to the country’s Congress calling for a review of Morocco’s participation in hosting the 2030 World Cup, citing what it described as “serious events that occurred on the border of Ceuta”.

The proposal, reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, was signed by three deputies from Izquierda Unida, which is part of the Sumar alliance, together with a fourth female MP from the parliamentary group.

Sumar is asking the Spanish government to send an official letter to FIFA, the Spanish Football Federation and the Portuguese government. The letter would call for a “special review and assessment” of the current model for jointly staging the tournament.

The 2030 World Cup is due to be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The Sumar motion argues that staging the competition involves the use of public resources, government guarantees and major investment in infrastructure. It also says that hosting the tournament affects the international image of the countries involved.

For that reason, the proposal says all parties taking part in the organisation of the World Cup should be required to show “effective and continuous respect for human rights, international law and the democratic principles that should govern the work of public authorities”.

The coalition has also urged the Spanish government to ask the Spanish Football Federation to activate FIFA’s institutional mechanisms for assessing compliance with the governing body’s statutes and human rights policy.

It wants an independent, public and updated study to be produced on “human rights risks in the host countries”. According to the motion, the findings should be presented to the Spanish parliament within six months.

A further request is for an assessment of “the impact of the events that took place on the border of Ceuta on the human rights-related obligations connected to the tournament”.

The proposal says additional measures should be considered if “serious” violations of international obligations or human rights are found to have been committed by any of the host countries.

The initiative from Sumar follows a similar position taken by Portugal’s LIVRE party. It has written to the Portuguese government and the Portuguese Football Federation, calling for Morocco’s involvement in hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal to be reconsidered.

The Sumar motion is not binding, meaning it does not itself change the World Cup hosting agreement or compel the Spanish government, FIFA or the football federations to take action. Instead, it asks the Spanish authorities to begin a review and use the relevant institutional procedures to examine the human rights commitments associated with the tournament.

The proposal places the scrutiny of Morocco within the wider responsibilities linked to the three-country hosting arrangement, including public spending, infrastructure planning and the international standing of the host nations.