ASSEDEL (Association for Sustainable Development, Equality and Liberty) publishes this open letter to express its serious concern regarding credible reports of alleged discriminatory and degrading treatment affecting members of the national football delegations of Uzbekistan and Senegal upon their arrival in the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The reported incidents, which have drawn increasing international attention, raise important questions regarding respect for human dignity, equality and non-discrimination in the context of FIFA’s flagship tournament. According to available information, certain security and entry procedures appear to have resulted in treatment that may be considered disproportionate and inconsistent with internationally recognized human rights standards.
While ASSEDEL recognizes the importance of security and border control measures, such procedures must always be implemented in a manner that is proportionate and respectful of the dignity of all individuals, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, origin.
These concerns are particularly relevant in light of FIFA’s commitments under Article 3 of its Statutes and its Human Rights Policy, which align the organization with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These frameworks require FIFA to prevent any adverse human rights impacts linked to its activities and tournaments.
ASSEDEL stresses that the issue at hand is not the legitimacy of state security procedures, but the manner in which they are applied within the context of a FIFA-organized event, and whether they result in differential treatment of participants.
Football is meant to be a universal space of inclusion and equality. Any perception of unequal treatment based on nationality or origin risks undermining both the integrity of the tournament and FIFA’s stated human rights commitments.
Through this open letter, ASSEDEL calls on FIFA to kindly clarify these reports, ensure transparency and take appropriate steps to prevent any recurrence of such concerns.
The full open letter is published here.