And every day the groundhog says hello…
Fifa is threatened with new problems because of the World Cup in Qatar. Environmentalists from the ‘Swiss Climate Alliance’ have lodged a complaint with the Swiss Integrity Commission. This is reported by the daily newspaper Blick.
The reproach: misleading advertising by the World Association for climate neutrality at the World Cup. The tournament was therefore marketed in a more environmentally friendly way than it really was.
According to environmentalists, Fifa around Boss Giovanni Infantino (52) has been “greenwashing the climate”. This refers to PR methods that fool the public into showing an environmentally friendly image without sufficient foundations.
Reto Inglin, legal secretary of the Lauterkommission: “We can confirm that a corresponding procedure is pending with us.” He could not announce further details due to the ongoing process.
Fifa advertises the World Cup on its website as the first “completely climate-neutral tournament”. However, research by several media, climate researchers and environmentalists in recent months has come to the conclusion that Fifa’s climate claims are false. The football association calculates the tournament as “green”.
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Among other things, Fifa veiled the true CO₂ balance sheet with certificates backed by the Qatari state. The information would be based on questionable accounting of the emissions and compensation programs of dubious quality. Fifa rejected these allegations and did not answer questions from Blick.
Christian Lüthi, Managing Director of Climate Alliance: “We would like Fifa to invest its resources in avoiding emissions instead of in greenwashing. We are confident that the Commission will condemn Fifa’s violations of fair advertising and thus send a clear signal to world football’s governing body.”
The Compliance Commission is an independent self-regulatory foundation in the communications industry. However, the judgments of the fairness commission are not legally enforceable.
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The world association is also under pressure in Germany. A few weeks ago, the German consumer advice center warned FIFA about “greenwashing” and demanded that “misleading” advertising statements be deleted.
Ramona Pop, head of the Federation of Consumer Organizations: “Fifa is trying to sell a major event in the desert as a showcase climate project. It is the deliberate deception of football fans and the public.”