Fifa has been accused of reneging on a commitment to ensure workers’ safety on World Cup projects by refusing inspectors access to observe conditions inside Mexico’s Azteca Stadium.
Representatives from the trade union the Building and Wood Workers’ International say they were told on Monday before a planned visit that they would not be allowed access to the 80,000-capacity venue, which is being renovated for the 2026 World Cup.
The BWI argues there has been minimal scrutiny of labour conditions on World Cup projects in Mexico, saying there is “systemic opacity” on information related to developments. It claims a broader agreement over “joint inspections” in the three host countries for the 2026 tournament – Mexico, the US and Canada – had been negotiated with Fifa, only for the governing body to pull out before signing.
Fifa says in its human rights policy that it “strives to uphold and promote the highest international labour standards” and that it “seeks to ensure respect for labour standards by its business partners and in the various activities directly linked to its operations”.
The general secretary of the BWI, Ambet Yuson, said Fifa was “dodging its responsibility” towards workers and that the governing body for global football had failed to learn from the human rights concerns related to recent tournaments.
“Fifa keeps promising the world a spectacle while dodging its responsibility to the very workers making it possible,” Yuson said. “Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has no problem appearing in photo ops with the US president, yet Fifa can’t even guarantee basic protections for workers building its own World Cup show.
“They learned nothing from Qatar and Russia. No more excuses. No more delays. Fifa must act now, or North America 2026 Fifa World Cup will be another case of broken promises and neglected workers.”
In December of last year a Fifa committee found that a “credible argument” could be made for Fifa having contributed to “a number of severe human rights impacts” during the buildup to the World Cup in Qatar. The BWI has previously cooperated with Fifa on workplace inspections and was involved in ensuring appropriate labour conditions at the past four World Cups, including in Qatar.
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The Azteca, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, is to stage five games during World Cup 2026 as one of 16 tournament venues. Its renovation has a committed $1bn (£773m) budget and has created an estimated 1,000 jobs.
Fifa was approached by the Guardian for comment.
