UEFA announces human rights requirements for Euro 2024 bidders

UEFA has outlined specific criteria in regards to human rights measures for the first time in its requirements for hosting Euro 2024.

In March, European football’s governing body confirmed that Germany and Turkey will fight it out for the right to host the competition as they were the only nations to formally announce an interest in hosting the tournament.

The two bidding nations have been provided with UEFA’s requirements for meeting its criteria for staging the event ahead of the countries putting together their dossiers.

Included are specific references on human rights, which will be included in all requirements for UEFA’s national and club competitions going forward, while compliance and anti-corruption measures must also be met.

A UEFA statement read: “For the first time ever, these bid requirements contain specific criteria relating to the respect of human rights. 

“These criteria are based on the United Nations’ ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’ and other UN conventions and were developed in close cooperation with Sport and Rights Alliance. 

“Furthermore, criteria regarding compliance and anticorruption measures have also been included as requirements.”

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated that the enshrinement of human rights is crucial for all the organisation’s events.

He said: “The protection of human rights and labour rights is of the utmost importance for UEFA. 

“It was imperative for us to introduce specific articles on the respect and protection of human rights in the bidding requirements for all of our competitions. 

“From now on, bidding nations will have to adhere strictly to these articles in the framework of the organisation of all our tournaments and finals.”