Environmental activists have launched a case against Fifa at the Swiss Integrity Commission. The world football association claimed in advertisements that the World Cup in Qatar was climate neutral, which the activists said was ‘very misleading’.
Even before the start of the World Cup on November 20, consumer lawyers warned Fifa about ‘greenwashing’ and demanded that ‘misleading’ advertising be removed.
But Fifa didn’t seem to care. For example, the world football association announced in advertisements the largest football tournament in the world as the first ‘completely climate neutral tournament’, which caused frustration among various media, climate researchers and environmental activists.
“We want FIFA to focus its resources on avoiding emissions rather than greenwashing,” said Christian Lüthi, general manager of Climate Alliance, the group that started the case. “We are convinced that the commission condemns FIFA’s violations of fair advertising and sends a clear message.”
Argentina was crowned world champion at the tournament in Qatar. The team of star player Lionel Messi defeated France in the final after extra time and penalties.
