Spain’s Sumar urges gov't to reconsider co-hosting 2030 World Cup with Morocco after Ceuta crisis

Spain’s left-wing coalition partner Sumar has urged the Socialist-led government to reconsider co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Morocco “in light of the serious events that occurred on the Ceuta border.”

According to EFE, Sumar submitted a non-binding motion to parliament urging the government to formally ask FIFA, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese government to reassess the current joint hosting model involving Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The proposal argues that hosting the tournament requires participating countries to demonstrate “effective and continuous respect for human rights, international law and the democratic principles that must govern the actions of public authorities.”

Sumar also called on the government to ask the RFEF to activate FIFA’s institutional mechanisms to review compliance with the governing body’s statutes and human rights policy.

It further requested an independent, public and updated assessment of human rights risks in the host countries, with the findings to be submitted to parliament within six months.

The coalition also urged authorities to evaluate whether the events at the Ceuta border affected the human rights commitments associated with the tournament and to propose additional measures if any “serious breaches” are confirmed.

According to EFE, Portugal’s Green party Livre has made a similar request to its government and football federation regarding Morocco’s participation in hosting the 2030 World Cup.