Portuguese Group Challenges Morocco’s 2030 World Cup Bid Over Human Rights Concerns

In a letter addressed to the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomes, the association denounced the "human rights violations in Western Sahara" and stressed that Morocco has been illegally occupying this region since 1975. It also reported "human rights violations in Morocco itself, where journalists, intellectuals and activists have been subjected to violent and systematic repression".

The association also raised concerns about Morocco’s credibility to host such a major sporting event, given its methods for achieving its political objectives. It thus stated that Morocco "blackmails other countries by using migration and drug routes", urging the Federation to reconsider the proposal, for fear that the World Cup would be indelibly discredited if it were organized in Morocco.

The Iberian candidacy for the 2030 World Cup was confirmed on Wednesday, with the inclusion of Morocco.