Several human rights organizations criticize Fifa for failing to assess the risk of human rights violations ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

This is stated in a joint press release this week.

– FIFA has a terrible history of tournaments where human rights violations occur. We saw it linked to the World Cup in Brazil, the World Cup in Russia and finally in Qatar.

This is what political advisor at Amnesty International Norway, Frank Conde Tangberg, tells NRK. The organization has also criticized the organizers of football championships several times before.

– What we are afraid of now is that Fifa has not learned its lessons, and that we will see human rights violations also in connection with this tournament, says Tangberg.

CRITICAL: Frank Conde Tangberg, political advisor at Amnesty Norway.

– Particularly concerned about Islamist terror

Exactly one year from now, the United States, Canada and Mexico will host what is likely to be the world’s biggest sporting event. But it is no secret that everyone will be able to watch the World Cup in the United States.

– Trump must change course when it comes to immigration if we are to have a World Cup without conflict. Fans from all over the world must be allowed in, regardless of whether they have made posts critical of the US on social media, within normal limits, says commentator at Amerikansikapolitikk.no and political journalist at Nettavisen, Henrik Heldahl.

13 teams are already ready for the championship next year. Among them we have Iran. Iranians may still have a big problem watching their team during the matches in the USA. Because Donald Trump has signed an order that prohibits entry from twelve countries. Among those countries is Iran.

– Trump is particularly worried about Islamist terror. He has little desire to let in too many people from Arab countries. That could be a problem, says Heldahl.

Countries Trump does not want entry from

Afghanistan Myanmar Chad Congo Equatorial-Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen

Major riots

In recent days, there have also been large demonstrations in Los Angeles, which have also spread to other cities in the United States.

The protesters are critical of Trump’s migration policy, and demand that he stop the mass deportations and arrests of immigrants.

Get an overview here

What’s happening in Los Angeles?

People have taken to the streets in the wake of President Trump’s promise to mass-deport undocumented immigrants. This was one of Trump’s most important campaign promises.

The demonstrations are aimed at this policy – and the US immigration authorities (ICE) that enforce it. People are demanding an end to the mass deportations and arrests of immigrants.

The demonstrations began in Los Angeles on Friday and have grown in scale since. It is unclear exactly how many are on the streets, but the protests are taking place in various places around the city.

At the same time, the protests are spreading to other major US cities, such as New York, Chicago and Austin.

Why now?

The demonstrations were triggered by a series of arrests in the Los Angeles area. Last week, 118 undocumented immigrants were arrested here, according to ICE.

A total of 2,000 were arrested daily across the United States during the same period, the authorities have said.

The goal is 3,000 arrests daily, writes Reuters. In May, the Trump administration claimed that 200,000 had been arrested in four months.

What is the National Guard?

A reserve force that can be mobilized by the authorities to handle emergencies.

Each state has its own National Guard. The forces are controlled by the individual state, unless they are called in by the president at the federal level. This is what Trump has done now.

The president ordering the National Guard to control protesters is very unusual.

Why is Trump’s handling criticized?

The president himself says it is necessary to deploy soldiers to crack down on the protests and maintain law and order.

Local authorities, on the other hand, believe that Trump is contributing to escalating the situation.

Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the president to formally withdraw the order. He has also accused Trump of serious violations of California’s sovereignty. Mayor Karen Bass says the chaos in the streets is provoked by the administration.

There has also been sharp criticism from other quarters:

Amnesty’s US director, Paul O’Brien, has called the decision deeply disturbing. He believes the handling is about crushing resistance and creating fear, rather than protecting local communities. Democratic governors across the US have issued a joint statement labeling Trump’s decision an abuse of power.

What’s happening in Los Angeles?

People have taken to the streets in the wake of President Trump’s promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. This was one of Trump’s most important campaign promises.

The demonstrations are aimed at this policy – and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that enforces it. People are demanding an end to mass deportations and arrests of immigrants.

The demonstrations began in Los Angeles on Friday and have grown in scale since then. It is unclear exactly how many people are on the streets, but the protests are taking place in various locations across the city.

At the same time, the protests are spreading to other major American cities, such as New York, Chicago and Austin.

Why now?

The demonstrations were sparked by a series of arrests in the Los Angeles area. Last week, 118 undocumented immigrants were arrested there, according to ICE.

A total of 2,000 were arrested daily across the United States during the same period, authorities have said.

The goal is 3,000 arrests per day, writes Reuters. In May, the Trump administration claimed that 200,000 had been arrested in four months.

What is the National Guard?

A reserve force that can be mobilized by the authorities to handle emergencies.

Each state has its own National Guard. The forces are controlled by the individual state, unless they are called in by the president at the federal level. That is what Trump has done now.

The president ordering the National Guard to control protesters is highly unusual.

Why is Trump’s handling of the situation being criticized?

The president himself says it is necessary to deploy soldiers to crack down on the protests and maintain law and order.

Local authorities, however, believe Trump is contributing to escalating the situation.

Governor Gavin Newsom has asked the president to formally withdraw the order. He has also accused Trump of serious violations of California’s sovereignty. Mayor Karen Bass says the chaos in the streets is provoked by the administration.

There has also been sharp criticism from other quarters:

Amnesty’s US director, Paul O’Brien, has called the decision deeply disturbing. He believes the handling is about crushing resistance and creating fear, rather than protecting local communities. Democratic governors across the US have issued a joint statement calling Trump’s decision an abuse of power.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stepped up its crackdown on undocumented immigrants since Trump became president.

This was one of Trump’s most important promises during the election campaign: He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, and has sent ICE to carry this out.

People have been demonstrating in these major cities in recent days, according to CNN. The channel also writes that there have also been smaller demonstrations in Santa Ana, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and Washington D.C.

More dangerous under Trump

Amnesty and the other organizations believe that the risk of human rights violations has increased after Donald Trump became president.

– President Trump’s policies are discriminatory and exclusionary. The consequences will be in direct conflict with FIFA’s stated ambition to use football to unite people, says Tangberg.

In the press release, the organizations claim that the Trump administration has “initiated a number of measures that weaken human rights.”

They point to, among other things, speech bans, entry restrictions and discrimination, that queer people’s rights are under pressure and limited freedom of the press.

Several protesters were arrested along Highway 101 on Tuesday.

The L.A. police have received international attention for using rubber bullets to crack down on protesters.

The police have also used tear gas against the protesters. The photo is from Sunday, June 8th.

A protester placed flowers at the feet of National Guard soldiers standing guard outside a federal building.

– We have seen that FIFA President Gianni Infantino travels with President Donald Trump, so he should have good opportunities to convey the message.

– Do you think it will happen?

– Do you think it will happen?

– Unfortunately, I have very little trust in Fifa, but we can’t help but make those demands on Fifa and really put pressure on them to ensure that they take human rights seriously, Tangberg replies.

TOGETHER: President Donald Trump and Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

Tangberg cites an example from the last time Donald Trump sat in the White House.

In 2016, NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem. He was protesting police brutality and racism in the United States.

Colin Kaepernick

Then Trump reacted by saying:

– Fans should leave the games when that (kneeling) happens. It shows a lack of respect. Wouldn’t you love it if the NFL owners fired the players who show disrespect towards our flag? said the president.

The gesture led to the San Francisco 49ers quarterback being out of contract.

Tangberg also pointed to a fresher example from the Qatar World Cup – where captains who wish to wear rainbow armbands with the message were threatened with sanctions.

Think Trump will soften

Discriminatory immigration policies can make it difficult for athletes and fans to get to host countries.

– They are forced to ease up on that front, says Henrik Heldahl.

STATISTICS: Henrik Heldahl is a commentator at Amerikanspolitikk.no and a political journalist at Nettavisen

Heldahl believes Trump will bask in the glory of the prestigious championship, and thus be rounder around the edges.

He thinks there is a big question mark around the championship.

– No one knows exactly how the Trump administration will handle it. There are some people who compare Trump to a dictator. I am not one of them, but dictators usually manage to hold sports championships. So we will see if Trump has exactly that in him.

Discrimination

Human rights organizations believe that the political climate could threaten the safety and inclusion of LGBTI people during the championship.

– Is everyone welcome at next year’s World Cup?

– Is everyone welcome to next year’s World Cup?

– You have a paradoxical situation now where the authorities in Qatar, when challenged on their queer rights during the World Cup, said: Everyone is welcome. The Saudi Arabian authorities say the same thing. The American authorities actually say the opposite, responds Tangberg in Amnesty International Norway.

Heldahl does not share the same concern for LGBTI people during next year’s World Cup.

– I don’t see it being a problem. We just had a World Cup in Qatar, and in nine years there will be a World Cup in Saudi Arabia. It’s a bigger problem for those championships than in the United States. In or around American cities, minority groups are a significant part of the urban landscape and are usually well looked after, he says.

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico starts on June 11th next year and lasts until July 19th.