'It has caused an internal shitstorm': Uproar at UK law firm accused of 'whitewashing' Saudi World Cup report | Saudi Arabia

When the Saudi crown prince locked up nearly 400 of his country's most powerful figures in a luxury hotel in 2017 and stripped them of their assets, a British law firm reportedly played an important role.

On orders from Mohammed bin Salman, Clifford Chance – a “Magic Circle” legal giant headquartered in London – is said to have facilitated the forced transfer of assets from a Saudi television channel to the government.

In total, assets worth $100 billion were confiscated from the detainees, who included Prince Mohammed's political rivals. Some were allegedly beaten, deprived of sleep and held in stressful positions.

Seven years after the infamous Ritz-Carlton purge in Riyadh, Clifford Chance – whose global sales rose 9% to £2.3bn in the last financial year – has become an “unrivaled legal powerhouse” in Saudi Arabia, it says website.

It has large government customers, including key ministries and the State Public Investment Fund. In 2023, its Saudi branch, AS&H Clifford Chance – a joint venture with a local law firm – became one of the first foreign firms to be admitted to the bar following a change in the law.

Just last month it was named Saudi Law Firm of the Year at a glittering awards ceremony in Dubai.

Now the company's long-standing ties to the Saudi regime are under scrutiny after it was commissioned to produce an “independent” assessment of Saudi Arabia's human rights record as part of the country's bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup – a report that was confirmed is roundly condemned as a “whitewash”.

The observer understands that at least one other law firm hired to conduct the assessment declined to do so due to reputational and conflict of interest concerns.

But the Saudi arm of Clifford Chance — whose recent work includes overseeing a multibillion-dollar soccer stadium deal for two Saudi Pro League clubs — agreed. The appointment is understood to have been signed by Fifa, world football's governing body.

The assessment required as part of the FIFA application process should provide an independent and unbiased picture of the human rights situation in the Kingdom. The UN Guiding Principles, which FIFA says it adheres to, state that such assessments should “include all internationally recognized human rights as a reference point.”

But documents seen by the observer show that AS&H Clifford Chance agreed to severely limit the scope of its report following a request from the Saudi Arabian Football Association (Saff), which in turn was approved by FIFA.

The restrictions mean the report only looked at human rights recognized in Saudi Arabia – rather than those recognized globally – and deemed relevant by the Saudi Football Association.

In 39 pages there is no mention of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia, the criminalization of same-sex sexual activity, restrictions on freedom of expression and the ban on unions or forced evictions, such as in the construction of the megacity Neom. In the report's methodological notes, AS&H Clifford Chance says the scope was “determined by Saff in consultation with Fifa”. The notes also show that the review was completed after just six weeks of desk work and was based entirely on interviews with government departments. Human rights groups and those affected by alleged abuses, such as migrant workers, were not consulted.

Last week, a coalition of 11 human rights organizations criticized the report as “completely flawed” and claimed it dramatically downplayed the “serious risk” of hosting the World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Julia Legner, executive director of ALQST for Human Rights, a Saudi diaspora organization, said there was an “artificially limited, misleading and overly positive perspective,” while James Lynch of FairSquare, a nonprofit advocacy group, called it a “whitewash.” .

Lynch said it was “unthinkably bad” and “truly bizarre” that Clifford Chance – known for his human rights practices in Britain – had ignored international standards and agreed to the parameters set by the Saudi Football Association. The failure to consult external stakeholders was “completely absurd,” he added.

“It’s such a departure from standard practice,” he said. “You might say, 'Look, we didn't have enough time.' But that's not okay. Either don’t accept it or don’t call it an independent human rights assessment – ​​because it isn’t.”

The firm is also accused of cherry-picking comments from UN bodies while ignoring the most damning findings, such as those about women and girls who face criminal charges if they report sexual abuse cases. No reports from UN special rapporteurs are included, and neither the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi nor the Ritz-Carlton cleanup are mentioned.

Steve Cockburn, head of labor rights and sport at Amnesty International, said: “It is incredible that AS&H Clifford Chance have left out such glaring risks in their assessment and scandalous that FIFA has paved the way for them to do so.”

The controversy surrounding the report, which was first published by FIFA in July but received little attention, has caused an uproar at Clifford Chance's Canary Wharf headquarters.

The firm is known for its pro bono and human rights work, and one of its partners is co-chair of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association. But key employees with relevant expertise were not consulted, according to people familiar with the assessment. “It caused an internal shitstorm,” a source said.

Another said: “It's a bad job. It would have been a mistake for someone credible to take on this task because the parameters were so narrow. Given the conditions involved, there was no way to do this ethically.”

The revelations also risk undermining the company's promise to support LGBTQ rights. In 2023, Stonewall's Global Workplace Equality Index ranked Clifford Chance as one of the world's best LGBT employers. This recognizes organizations that have “taken steps to advance LGBT equality in their global locations.”

A quote from the global head of inclusion presented on the website states: “It is not enough to have values, we must stand up for them and be willing to advocate for them if they are to be real.” Saudi Arabia has a long history of persecuting LGBT people. While the head of the World Cup department promised in September that people coming to the tournament would be “respected” regardless of sexuality or gender identity, sex outside of marriage – including same-sex relationships – is criminalized. Penalties can include the death penalty, and LGBT people “practice extreme self-censorship in order to survive their daily lives,” Human Right Watch said. The topic is not mentioned in the World Cup report.

The fallout also raises broader questions for FIFA about the integrity of Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid as a vote to confirm the kingdom ahead of its upcoming host in 2034.

The bid sparked controversy from the start after the Fifa Council, led by the organization's president Gianni Infantino, took steps widely seen as paving the way for Saudi Arabia's success, including the decision to postpone the 2030 tournament three continents – which meant restricting the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosting eligibility for 2034 to Asia or Oceania. There was also an expedited procedure that gave countries only 25 days to express their intention.

After Saudi Arabia emerged as the sole bidder, the Norwegian Football Association criticized the process as “not transparent enough”. FIFA insists it was fair.

Saudi Arabia's designation as host country is expected to be ratified at a FIFA congress on December 11 in Zurich, where the organization's 211 members will vote on it.

A FIFA spokesman said a “thorough bidding process” was underway and they would not comment until it was complete.

She declined to comment on the Clifford Chance report but said she plans to release an assessment of Saudi Arabia's bid, including the human rights assessment, before the congressional session.

Clifford Chance did not comment on the human rights assessment, his ties to the Saudi government or his alleged involvement in the transfer of assets as part of the Ritz-Carlton purge. In an email to stakeholders last week, its global managing partner Charles Adams said it would be “inappropriate to make comments… beyond the content contained in the published report.”

The Saudi government has been contacted for comment. The company previously denied allegations of torture during the “anti-corruption” purge at the Ritz-Carlton, saying they were “absolutely untrue.”