Linda Sällström hopes that the open letter of more than a hundred soccer players will have influence. The Finnish professor does not believe in immediate results.
– This money feels really dirty. We are going badly into the forest if we put money and not human rights first.
The national team’s all-time top scorer Linda Sällström explains on the phone the reasons why he is part of the front of more than a hundred footballers against the decisions of the International Football Association Fifa.
106 professional football players demanded in his open letter on Monday the president of Fifa For Gianni Infantinothat the sports federation would stop cooperation with Saudi Arabia’s oil and energy company Saudi Aramco.
The agreement between FIFA and Aramco guarantees the company sponsorship rights for both men’s and women’s World Cups until 2027.
Saudi Arabia’s majority-owned Aramco ranks among the most polluted in the world to companies. Saudi Arabia famously again tramples many human rights as a state.
Fifa, on the other hand, has its own its human rights policywhich, according to Fifa, includes respecting human rights both at the organizational level and in partnership relationships. Fifa has also declared having committed to the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
In Sällström’s opinion, the conflict between the company’s and Fifa’s own commitments is obvious.
– I don’t understand how such a sponsor could have passed the sieve, Sällström wonders.
According to Sällström, the senders of the letter demand that the players be consulted in the future when Fifa makes similar agreements in the future.
A total of eight Finnish players signed the letter. One of them was the captain of the Helmares Tinja-Riikka Korpela.
Among those who signed the letter were also superstars of the sport, such as the one who recently moved to Manchester City Vivianne Miedema.
Also according to Miedema, the agreement with Aramco violates FIFA’s own human rights commitments. Miedema is dating an English national team striker by Beth Mead with.
Despite the concerns of well-known players, Fifa is unlikely to agree to the demands. This is what someone who has studied the history of football believes Vesa Vares.
The letter is answered with nice words, but not concretely
According to Vesa Varensen, professor of political history at the University of Turku, the letter shows the athletes’ desire to increase pressure on Fifa. He does not believe that the letter will achieve immediate results.
– Athletes’ protests have generally had little effect when the other side has very large monetary values, Vares reminds.
According to Vares, the means of influence for athletes are few. For example, boycotts will not help if some players still want to play and the tournaments are not cancelled.
According to Vares, it is natural that it is the female players who focus attention on the shortcomings of a country like Saudi Arabia. According to Varensen, we should not expect something similar from the sports leaders of FIFA and Saudi Arabia.
– The letter will be reacted to with some nice statement, but no concrete changes will hardly happen, Vares reflects.
The players were boycotted?
Sällström emphasizes that the letter’s criticism is aimed at Fifa, the Saudi Arabian state and Saudi Aramco, not individual Saudis. Sällström believes in the power of an open letter.
– We all hope that this would change things. If we didn’t do anything, Fifa certainly wouldn’t do anything, Sällström reminds.
Could players start boycotts in the future, i.e. simply refuse to play?
– I’m not going to speculate with boycotts. Let’s see how the reception of the letter is. Let’s think about the next moves after that, says Sällström.
The Finnish women’s national football team will face Montenegro on Friday in the EC further qualifiers. will broadcast the match on TV2 from 17:10.