From the 2017 crackdown to a disputed report: Law firm’s role in Saudi’s World Cup plans

A human rights assessment made by law firm AS&H Clifford Chance for Saudi Arabia's bid for the World Cup in 2034 has been labelled flawed and far from independent by human rights organisations. The law firm also played a role in a crackdown on Saudi Arabia's most influential people in 2017.

By the time the 2034 FIFA World Cup arrives in Riyadh, FIFA’s VIPs will likely stay in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, the designated hotel for FIFA's top officials. But this pinnacle of the Kingdom’s opulence and hospitality has a darker history, as it played a pivotal role in one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s most ruthless political maneuvers.

In November 2017, the hotel was transformed overnight into a detention center for nearly 400 of Saudi Arabia’s most influential figures. Princes, business magnates, ministers, and senior officials found themselves unexpectedly detained and some of them reportedly faced abuse, torture, coercion, and imprisonment.

The move, orchestrated by Mohammed bin Salman shortly after becoming Crown Prince, was framed as an anti-corruption initiative but widely seen as a calculated power grab to consolidate his authority and reshape the Kingdom’s elite while pressuring some of the detainees to sign over substantial assets.

To manage and facilitate these asset transfer, the government brought in major international firms, including the British law firm Clifford Chance.

From crackdown to human rights assessment

Seven years later, Mohammad bin Salman's trusted friends in Clifford Chance, now operating as AS&H Clifford Chance, reappeared on the Saudi stage. This time as the company behind the so-called “independent context assessment” report of Saudi Arabia’s human rights, a key component of the Kingdom’s bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

However, when the report was released in July 2024, Play the Game highlighted significant conflicts of interest that cast serious doubt on the report’s independence. Fahad Abuhimed, a partner at AS&H Clifford Chance, was particularly noteworthy as he has held numerous influential positions in Saudi government bodies and state-owned enterprises.

Abuhimed has served as a board member of the government-owned Riyadh Airports Company, Deputy Minister for Laws and Regulations, and as an advisor for various high-profile state activities like Neom and the Public Investment Fund.

A flawed report and mounting criticism

Concerns deepened three months later when eleven human rights organisations issued a joint statement which denounced AS&H Clifford Chance’s report as “flawed”.

The organisations alleged that AS&H Clifford Chance had agreed to a decision by FIFA and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to “exclude analysis of Saudi Arabia’s record on multiple critical human rights“ – including issues related to freedom of expression, LGBTI+ rights, prohibition of trade unions, and forced evictions.

The report selectively cited UN findings while omitting others, such as documented cases of torture, women’s rights violations, labour complaints, cases of death penalties connected to Neom’s development, and the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Further compounding the criticism, there is no evidence that AS&H Clifford Chance consulted external experts, international human rights organisations, or individuals potentially affected by the World Cup. Even Amnesty International’s report Playing a Dangerous Game? Human Rights Risks Linked to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, which details potential human rights risks associated with the World Cup in Saudi Arabia, was absent from the assessment.