Statement on CONCACAF sponsorship by Saudi Aramco: CONCACAF shouldn’t give a platform to the world’s biggest polluter

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)- one of FIFA’s six continental confederations –  has just announced oil giant Saudi Aramco as its “official energy partner”. With widespread concerns that Saudi Aramco will also sponsor FIFA, this is another step in the wrong direction for the world of football.

Whereas Saudi Arabia claims that sports sponsorship is part of its diversification strategy under its “Vision 2030”, this deal is further evidence that Saudi Arabia is using its sports investments to continue selling its dirty and expensive fossil fuels. Further context can be found in our briefing on this issue.

According to the latest Carbon Majors Report, Aramco tops the chart as the most damaging corporation between 1985-2018, causing an estimated 2.8 trillion US dollars worth of damages. By partnering with this earth wrecking company, CONCACAF is directly risking the homes and livelihoods of those most affected by climate change. What’s worse, many of those that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change live within the CONCACAF region.

In Central America’s ‘Dry Corridor’, unprecedented extreme weather events have displaced upwards of 1.7 million people since 2020. The UN’s World Food Program reveals that around 8 million people in this corridor are moderately or severely hungry and 43% of those living in Central America would like to migrate. This fits a wider global pattern of migration highlighted by the UNHCR. In 2022, 84 percent of refugees and asylum seekers originated from highly climate-vulnerable countries compared with 61 percent in 2010. Within the CONCACAF region, the small island nations of the Caribbean are also on the front lines of climate change. The UN in the Caribbean explains these nations are at a particularly high risk of sea level rise, increased precipitation, tropical cyclones and storm surges.

Frank Huisingh, Fossil Free Football: “Saudi Aramco is state-owned and the biggest oil company in the world. The Saudi state has a decades-long track record of blocking climate action. It tries to get developing states addicted to its polluting and expensive oil and thereby hampers the transition to safe and cheap renewable energy the world so desperately needs. Sponsoring football is part of this strategy, trying to win hearts and minds by associating itself with the most popular sport in the world. CONCACAF countries already suffer the consequences of the climate crisis and they should cancel this deal. There’s no place for polluters in football.”

CONCACAF has just announced Saudi Aramco as its “official energy partner”. With widespread rumours that Saudi Aramco will also sponsor FIFA, this is another step in the wrong direction for the world of football.

Whereas Saudi Arabia claims that sports sponsorship is part of its diversification strategy under the heading “Vision 2030”, this deal makes clear that Saudi Arabia uses its sport investments to continue selling its dirty and expensive fossil fuels. Further context can be found in our briefing on this issue.

Frank Huisingh, Fossil Free Football: “Saudi Aramco is state-owned and the biggest oil company in the world. The Saudi state has a decades-long track record of blocking climate action. It tries to get developing states addicted to its polluting and expensive oil and thereby hampers the transition to safe and cheap renewable energy the world so desperately needs. Sponsoring football is part of this strategy, trying to win hearts and minds by associating itself with the most popular sport in the world. CONCACAF countries already suffer the consequences of the climate crisis and they should cancel this deal. There’s no place for polluters in football.”