Top female footballers urge Fifa to end deal with Saudi ‘nightmare sponsor’

Letter to governing body accuses Saudis of using sports to ‘distract from the regime’s brutal human rights reputation’

LETTER: Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema  is one of the 106 signatories. Picture: Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images

More than 100 professional female footballers have signed a letter calling on Fifa to end its sponsorship deal with the state-owned Saudi Arabian oil company, Aramco, accusing Saudi authorities of “brutal human rights violations”.

A four-year deal signed in April will see Aramco, which is 98.5% state-owned, sponsor major tournaments including the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Women’s World Cup in 2027.